The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has warned that Nigeria risks endangering its future as insecurity continues to threaten schools, children, and teachers across the country.
The warning came as President Bola Tinubu reassured Nigerians that his administration was intensifying rescue operations for abducted children while strengthening security measures around schools nationwide.
In a statement issued on Children’s Day, CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, lamented the growing wave of attacks on schools and the increasing cases of child abduction by terrorists and criminal groups.
According to him, many Nigerian families marked this year’s Children’s Day under fear, uncertainty, and emotional distress over the safety of their children.
“A country where parents fear sending their children to school and teachers are uncertain about returning safely from work cannot honestly claim to be protecting its future,” CAN stated.
The association described the recent school abductions in Oyo State as another painful reminder that schools and children were becoming easy targets in communities plagued by insecurity.
CAN expressed deep concern over the plight of children still held captive, stressing that no child should be subjected to violence, fear, or uncertainty in places meant for learning and safety.
“No child should ever have to experience terror, violence or uncertainty in a place meant for learning, protection and hope,” the statement added.
The Christian body further noted that teachers were increasingly working under dangerous conditions, with many now sharing the same fear and helplessness faced by their students.
“The image of frightened teachers standing helplessly beside terrified children in the hands of criminals should trouble the conscience of the nation and stir urgent action from those responsible for securing lives and communities,” CAN said.
It warned that repeated attacks on schools were not only disrupting education but also weakening public confidence in the government’s ability to secure the future of the younger generation.
Beyond insecurity, CAN also highlighted the growing challenges facing Nigerian children, including hunger, poverty, child labour, trafficking, abuse, and poor access to quality education and healthcare.
“For too many young Nigerians, childhood itself is gradually being replaced by hardship, fear and survival,” Archbishop Okoh stated.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu, in his Children’s Day message, assured Nigerians that the federal government had not abandoned children still in captivity.
“As a father and your President: you are not forgotten. You are not abandoned,” Tinubu said.
The President acknowledged the pain of affected families, noting that many parents could not celebrate Children’s Day because they remained focused on the safe return of their children.
“Some children have been forced into fear. Some parents cannot join today’s celebration because their hearts are set on one prayer: ‘Bring our children home,’” he stated.
Using the 2026 Children’s Day theme, “Future Now: Promoting Inclusion for Every Nigerian Child,” Tinubu described the protection of children as both a moral responsibility and a national security priority.
He directed security agencies to intensify intelligence-led rescue operations aimed at safely recovering abducted children and dismantling criminal networks responsible for such attacks.
The President also ordered stronger protection measures for schools in vulnerable areas, including improved coordination between state governments and security agencies, updated risk assessments, rapid emergency response systems, and community-based early warning structures.
“The Federal Ministry of Education, working with state governments, is to deepen the implementation of the Safe Schools framework with clear reporting, clear responsibility and clear timelines,” Tinubu said.
He stressed that every school in high-risk communities must know how to respond in times of danger and who to contact during emergencies.
Tinubu further emphasized that rescued children must receive proper rehabilitation, counselling, medical care, and educational support to help them recover from trauma and reintegrate into society.
“A child who returns from trauma must return to care, medical attention, counselling, education and dignity,” he added.
The President also called on parents, teachers, traditional rulers, religious leaders, community groups, and the media to work together in protecting children and preventing attacks on schools.
“When a community sees strange movement around a school and keeps quiet, a child is placed at risk. When warning signs are ignored, families suffer,” Tinubu warned.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to children’s welfare, Tinubu said the government would continue investing in education, healthcare, nutrition, social protection, digital skills, and safer communities to ensure every Nigerian child can grow and dream without fear.
“To our children, you matter—your dreams matter; your safety matters. Your education matters. Be assured that your future matters to this government and to this nation, and we will safeguard it,” the President said.
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