The Makinde–Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation has called on governments, policymakers, families and communities to prioritise the protection, education, healthcare and overall well-being of the Nigerian girl child. The Director of National Women Coordination of the campaign organisation and immediate past Oyo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Hon. (Mrs.) Toyin Balogun, made the appeal in a statement commemorating the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child, observed annually on October 11. Speaking on the theme, “End Child Marriage, Invest in Girls’ Rights,” Balogun stressed the urgent need for collective action against child marriage, gender discrimination and other practices denying girls opportunities to fulfil their potential.
Balogun expressed concern over the prevalence of child marriage and the growing number of out-of-school girls in Nigeria, describing the situation as a major threat to national development. Citing available statistics, she noted that approximately one in five girls worldwide marries before reaching 18, while an estimated 33.4 per cent of young Nigerian women were married before adulthood. She also referenced UNICEF estimates indicating that millions of Nigerian girls remain out of school. According to her, early marriage exposes girls to interrupted education, poverty, gender-based violence, maternal health complications and limited economic independence, making stronger child-protection policies and community sensitisation imperative.
Outlining the proposed interventions of the Makinde–Daura presidential campaign, Balogun disclosed that an administration led by Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, would seek to replicate the state’s free education policy nationally, expand access to quality schooling and introduce vocational, artisanal and conventional educational programmes for vulnerable girls, including survivors of child marriage. She added that the proposed administration would strengthen enforcement of child-protection laws, provide legal assistance and survivor protection, improve child-friendly justice systems and expand adolescent-responsive healthcare services. Other proposed measures include reproductive health education, improved maternal healthcare, community awareness campaigns against early marriage, and targeted interventions in rural and underserved communities to reduce the number of out-of-school children.
The former commissioner further emphasised that protecting the girl child requires more than political declarations, insisting that measurable progress must be reflected in the number of girls rescued from harmful practices, supported through rehabilitation and empowered to remain in or return to school. She urged traditional rulers, religious leaders, parents, civil society organisations and government institutions to unite against child marriage and harmful cultural practices, including those contributing to vesicovaginal fistula, maternal mortality and neonatal deaths. Reaffirming the campaign organisation’s commitment to inclusive development and equal opportunities, Balogun declared that investing in girls’ education, health, safety and economic empowerment remains fundamental to building a prosperous Nigeria where every girl can realise her full potential.
