President Bola Tinubu has unveiled a national campaign to combat bullying and strengthen child protection laws across Nigeria, as part of activities marking the 2025 Children’s Day celebration.
In a speech to mark the 2025 Children’s Day Celebrations, Tinubu described Nigerian children as the “pride and future” of the country and vowed to tackle the rising cases of bullying and abuse in schools and communities.
“Violence, bullying, and neglect have no place in the Nigeria of today,” the President said, urging a nationwide embrace of the theme: “Stand Up, Speak Up: Building a Bullying-Free Generation.”
The President also announced a review of key child protection laws, including the Child Rights Act (2003) and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (2015), to expand their scope and close enforcement gaps.
To support digital safety, Tinubu pledged stronger enforcement of the Cybercrime Act to tackle online abuse and cyberbullying.
He also revealed that the Ministry of Women’s Affairs is scaling up the Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS) and intensifying community-level protection efforts, including training first responders and launching awareness campaigns.
As part of new reforms, the President introduced a nationwide initiative tagged “See Something, Say Something, Do Something” to encourage public reporting of child abuse cases.
On health and nutrition, Tinubu disclosed plans to expand Mother and Child Hospitals across all geopolitical zones and announced the establishment of a Nutrition Department within the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. Initiatives like the Nutrition 774 programme and the School Feeding Scheme, he said, will help improve learning and health outcomes for children.
While commending the 36 states that have domesticated the Child Rights Act, Tinubu urged full implementation, noting that laws alone are not enough without community participation.
He also hinted at the development of a Universal Child Grant and a Child Wellbeing Index to track progress on child-focused policies.
The President concluded with a pledge to build “a Nigeria where no child suffers in silence and every child grows in dignity, peace, and love.”
