Building a Safe and Prosperous Future for Nigeria’s Children through Education

The terrorist group Jama’atu Ahlus Sunnah Lid Da’awati Wal Jihad, more commonly referred to as Boko Haram and loosely translated to “Western education is forbidden”, have carried out terrible atrocities in the north-east of Nigeria since 2009. Schools have been attacked and destroyed, teachers have been killed or forced to flee, thousands of school-aged children have been kidnapped, raped and even recruited as suicide bombers. With high numbers of children in the north-east being out of school prior to the crisis, the conflict has exacerbated children’s access to schooling. Millions of children are currently denied their right to education and a stable and prosperous future.

The terrorist insurgency, in combination with the chronic food insecurity, is pushing Nigeria to the brink of humanitarian catastrophe. The number of food insecure people – those without enough food to grow and develop normally, and stay healthy – has increased by around 50 per cent since March to more than 4.4 million.3 Deadly diseases have followed, with cases of acute watery diarrhea and measles reported. Two years since the last case in Nigeria, polio has returned. Children have suffered grave violations of their rights, not only being deprived of education, but being killed, abducted. and sexually abused. Over 2.7 million children are in need of protection, including more than 20,000 children separated from their parents or guardians in the chaos.