From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party( PDP) has decried the high number of out-of-school children in the country.
The party in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said about 10.1 million children are reportedly out of school, which is the highest in sub-Sahara region.The party said this is in addition to over 19 million children languishing in Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps in various parts of Nigeria. It alleged that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government was complicit in the crisis.
The party stated this while felicitating with Nigerian children on the occasion of this year’s Children’s Day celebration.
“This day of celebration has become a sad epitaph of the harsh conditions which the Nigerian children have been subjected to in the last six years under President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC). Violence against children, child trafficking and other acts that infringe on the rights of the child have escalated to a frightening proportion.”
The party accused the government of mortgaging the future of Nigerian children with reckless foreign borrowings, saying it puts “a huge yoke on the feeble shoulders of our innocent children.”
The PDP charged the Federal Government to deploy special incentives to boost access to education, healthcare and guarantee the security and safety of children, especially in crisis areas.
The opposition party charged the National Assembly and various state Houses of Assembly to strengthen all child rights and protection legislations and ensure effective implementation in the interest of children.