Nigeria Marks 2025 International Day of the Girl Child with Renewed Commitment to Empowerment
By Uzoamaka Mfoniso
ABUJA- Nigeria joined the global community on Friday to commemorate the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child, with renewed commitments from government and development partners to amplify the voices, leadership, and safety of girls across the country.
Minister Calls for Bold Leadership Among Girls
Delivering the keynote address, the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, described Nigerian girls as “courageous, brilliant, and boundless in potential,” urging them to see themselves as active agents of change rather than victims of circumstance.
“Today, we celebrate the courage, brilliance, and boundless potential of every Nigerian girl who dares to dream, to lead, and to transform her world,” she said.
The Minister noted that the 2025 theme aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritizes women, children, and vulnerable groups as central to national transformation.
She emphasized that the advancement of girls is “not merely a gender issue but a development imperative,” recalling that the girl child remains one of the twelve critical areas of concern in the Beijing Platform for Action adopted 30 years ago.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim outlined several interventions led by the Ministry, including the review of the Child Rights Act (2003), the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (2015), and the validation of the National Policy on Menstrual Health and Hygiene to promote dignity and access to services.
Despite these strides, she described persistent challenges such as early marriage, gender-based violence, and educational inequality as “sobering realities.”
“According to UNICEF, about 44% of Nigerian girls are married before the age of 18, and 18% before they turn 15. Each number represents a dream interrupted, a girl denied education, voice, and choice,” she said.
She also called for stronger family systems, community engagement, and faith-based collaboration to provide safe spaces where girls can thrive without fear.
“When a girl is educated, she not only transforms her life but rewrites the story of her family and community,” the Minister stated.
Health Advocate Calls for Inclusive Investment
Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, a pediatrician and founder of the Medicaid Cancer Foundation, stressed the need for girl-focused health and education investments within national development planning.
“Nigerian girls are a very important part of our population, of our community, of our families. And so, it’s important that our governments, policymakers, and partners from the business and private sector realize that, and put them at the front of all decisions that are being made,” she said.
She noted that many girls are grappling with “educational, health, mental, and emotional issues” that hinder their growth and progress.
“When we’re appropriating funds for national development, we must focus on initiatives that have to do with the younger girls,” she added.
Dr. Bagudu commended the leadership of the Minister of Women Affairs for her focus on girls’ development, saying:
“We have a lot of activities and progress from the Ministry of Women Affairs, under the leadership of Honourable Imaan Suleiman. She’s been a very dynamic leader, focusing on what girls do.”
She urged parents to take proactive steps in their daughters’ health and self-protection.
“Immunize your daughters, teach them the importance of breast examination, and empower them with the education that they need to make a success of themselves,” she advised.
Advocate Urges Balance in Gender Focus
Medical practitioner Dr. Julie Essien urged that advocacy should not leave the boy child behind, warning that the current imbalance risks creating new social problems.
“They really see a lot of advocacy on a girl child than the boys and they tell me a lot of the experiences in schools, in the community that they’re being ignored. The people do not care that they also exist and they think that a girl child is weaker, yet some girls also torture them a lot,” she said.
“To a large extent, the boys have actually been left in isolation. Everybody thinks that a girl child is weaker and should be more protected. True, physically we are weak, but mentally a girl child of 17 years can beat down a 20-year-old,” she added.
Save the Children Celebrates Girl-Led Advocacy
In his remarks, Save the Children International’s Country Director Mr. Duncan Harvey commended Nigerian girls for driving community change despite insecurity, poverty, and displacement.
“This year’s theme is more than a statement; it is a bold declaration. It calls on us to see girls not only through the lens of the challenges they face but through the solutions they create,” he said.
He highlighted platforms such as the Children’s Parliament, Girl-Led Movement Building, and Girl Champions Programme, where young girls lead advocacy on child marriage, menstrual hygiene, teenage pregnancy, and education as part of their support initiatives.
“Girls are not passive recipients of aid but active drivers of change. You are not only the leaders of tomorrow but change-makers today,” he declared.
A Shared Vision
The 2025 International Day of the Girl Child celebration underscored a unified resolve from government, partners, and communities to empower girls to lead, innovate, and transform Nigeria’s future.
As the the Minister inspiringly concluded:
“To every Nigerian girl, from Sokoto to Calabar, from Maiduguri to Lagos, you are light in the midst of shadows. You are change in a world that often forgets to listen. The nation awaits your brilliance, and the world awaits your voice. For the girl you are is the change we need.”
The event, themed “The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead: Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis,” brought together key stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Policy Makers, Development partners, girl advocates, Students and representatives of the Children’s Parliament , to celebrate the resilience and leadership of Nigerian girls amid daunting challenges.
