Nigerian children still dumped in orphanages over poverty – Right advocate raises alarm

Child rights advocate Eghosa A Erhumwunse has expressed concern over the increasing number of children entering residential care in Nigeria due to their families being overwhelmed by poverty, displacement, disability, conflict, abuse, neglect, or lack of support. Speaking at the National Alternative Care Consultative Forum in Abuja, Erhumwunse, the National Director of SOS Children's Villages Nigeria, highlighted that while Nigeria has robust child protection laws like the Child Rights Act and National Guidelines for Alternative Care, merely having good policies is insufficient without a functioning system.

He pointed out that gatekeeping remains inconsistent, social workers are overwhelmed, data is fragmented, financing is inadequate, and children are still excluded from decisions concerning them. According to Erhumwunse, while five states have formally adopted the National Guidelines into state practice by the end of 2025, this marks a significant milestone but also signifies the magnitude of work still ahead.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, echoed Erhumwunse's sentiments, emphasizing that every child in Nigeria deserves to grow up in a safe, loving, and protective family environment. She expressed worry over the lack of accurate data on children in orphanages and alternative care homes and instructed state permanent secretaries to profile all orphanages and disclose the actual number of children in their care.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim pledged that the government would implement measures from the ward to the local government and sub-national levels to safeguard children.

Dr. Godwin Odo, a UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, stressed that merely adopting policies does not alter the lives of children; implementation is crucial. He noted the forum's timeliness, given evidence indicating that children thrive best in families and communities. Odo's remarks underscored that alternative care reform is about building a system robust enough to prevent unnecessary separations in the first place, ensuring every child has a family, protection, and a voice in matters affecting them.