By Adeyinka Adeniran
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has painted a grim picture of childhood in Nigeria, warning that widespread insecurity and systemic deficiencies are robbing millions of children of their fundamental right to safety and play.
Speaking in Lagos on Thursday at an event marking the International Day of Play, the Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Lagos, Celine Lafoucriere, lamented that the school compound, which ought to be the safest sanctuary for children, has tragically transformed into a theatre of fear.
The event, held at the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) premises in Maryland, Ikeja, served as a sobering platform for the UN agency to confront the stark realities facing Nigerian children in 2026.
Lafoucriere pointed directly to the recent wave of school abductions across the country, noting that children have been taken into captivity from their classrooms in Borno, Niger, and Kebbi states, as well as a recent incident just last month in nearby Oyo State.
Expressing deep concern that some of these abducted children are yet to return home, the UNICEF chief stressed that the prevailing atmosphere of terror has forced many traumatised parents to keep their children away from school altogether.
She noted that while some children are denied the opportunity to play due to overcrowded classrooms, lack of space, and a dearth of learning materials, others are simply too paralyzed by fear to step into a school compound.
Lafoucriere emphasized that play is not merely a luxury or a reward for completing schoolwork, but an essential biological and educational necessity.
She explained that play triggers brain growth, fosters exploration, and drives cognitive development in ways that no traditional classroom worksheet can replicate, describing play as the actual “work” of childhood.
Issuing a passionate call to action to journalists, government officials, and parents, the UNICEF top official warned that a child who is not safe cannot learn, and a child who is denied the right to play will never realize their full potential.
She maintained that the dual crises of insecurity and poor educational infrastructure are deeply intertwined and demand immediate, decisive intervention from all stakeholders, reminding the gathering that Nigeria’s children are watching and the nation cannot afford to fail them.
Shr said, “Let me start with our children. We are glad you are here today, and we are glad you are safe. Because right now, across this country, there are children who cannot say the same.
“In recent months, children have been taken into captivity from their schools in Borno State, Niger, Kebbi, and just last month, in nearby Oyo State. Some of those children have unfortunately not come home yet.
“This is the reality of childhood in the country in 2026. And we cannot stand here, on International Day of Play, and pretend otherwise. You will agree with me that too many children in the country are not playing.
“Some cannot play because their schools are overcrowded. Some because there is no space, no time, no materials. And some because they are too afraid to come to school.
“Their parents are too afraid to send them. The school compound, which should be the safest place in a child’s life, has become a place of fear.
But we are also here today because we refuse to let fear have the last word.
“When a child plays, their brain grows. When they explore and build things and laugh with their friends, they are learning. No worksheet can do what play does.
“Play is not a reward for finishing work. Play is the work. And no child should be denied that. Not by overcrowded classrooms. Not by anyone with a gun.
“Let us all – journalists, government officials, parents leave here today with this: A child who is not safe cannot learn. A child who cannot play will not grow into who they are meant to be. These two things are connected, and both of them need fixing now. Our children are watching, let us not let them down.”
