Growing Up Too Fast: Child Labour and Stolen Childhoods in Nigerian Markets and Homes

Published

3 months ago

July 13, 2026

By Osadebe Success

The first light of dawn has barely broken when 11-year-old Chinedu begins arranging sachets of water in a wheelbarrow at a busy market in Benin City. While children his age prepare for school or enjoy the comfort of home, he is already chasing customers through crowded streets. Across Nigeria, this scene is repeated daily as thousands of children exchange classrooms and playgrounds for markets, workshops, farms, and private homes. For many of them, childhood has become a luxury they cannot afford.

Child labour remains one of Nigeria’s most pressing social challenges. Despite laws designed to protect children’s rights, many boys and girls are forced into work because of poverty, family hardship, insecurity, and limited access to quality education. Instead of learning, playing, and developing their talents, they spend long hours carrying heavy loads, hawking goods, washing clothes, cooking, farming, or working as domestic servants.

A walk through many Nigerian markets reveals children selling fruits, bottled water, snacks, vegetables, and household items under the scorching sun. Some weave dangerously through traffic to make sales, exposing themselves to road accidents, exploitation, and abuse. Others are sent to beg on the streets or work in mechanic workshops where they handle dangerous tools without adequate protection. These children are not merely helping their families—they are sacrificing their childhoods.

The situation is equally alarming in many homes. Young domestic workers, some barely in their teenage years, wake before everyone else to clean, cook, fetch water, wash clothes, and care for younger children. While some employers treat them with kindness and respect, others subject them to verbal abuse, physical punishment, poor nutrition, excessive workloads, and denial of education. Hidden behind the walls of private homes, their suffering often goes unnoticed.

For many families, the decision to send a child to work is born out of desperation rather than choice. Rising inflation, unemployment, and economic hardship have made it increasingly difficult for parents to provide even the most basic necessities. Faced with these realities, some believe allowing their children to contribute financially is essential for survival. However, the long-term consequences are devastating, as these children often remain trapped in the very cycle of poverty their labour was intended to break.

Education suffers the greatest loss. A child who spends the day hawking goods or working in a household has little time or energy to attend school, complete assignments, or prepare for examinations. Many eventually drop out altogether, limiting their future opportunities. Without education and marketable skills, they are more likely to remain in low-paying jobs as adults, perpetuating the cycle of hardship from one generation to the next.

Beyond the loss of education, child labour takes a severe toll on children’s physical and emotional well-being. Long working hours, exposure to harsh weather, hazardous environments, and exploitation can result in lasting physical injuries, chronic health problems, and psychological trauma. Many children are forced to grow up too quickly, burdened with responsibilities that no child should ever have to bear.

Although Nigeria has enacted laws such as the Child Rights Act to protect children from exploitation, enforcement remains inconsistent. Weak monitoring systems, inadequate social welfare programmes, insufficient public awareness, and limited institutional capacity continue to allow child labour to persist in many communities. Until these laws are effectively enforced, countless children will continue to be denied the opportunities they deserve.

Addressing child labour requires a collective and sustained effort. Governments at all levels must strengthen social protection programmes, improve access to free and quality education, and rigorously enforce existing child protection laws. Employers must refuse to exploit underage workers, while communities, civil society organisations, and religious institutions should intensify public awareness about children’s rights. Families also need economic empowerment initiatives that reduce their dependence on children’s labour as a means of survival.

Every child deserves the chance to dream, learn, play, and grow in a safe and nurturing environment. Childhood should be a time of curiosity, laughter, education, and hope—not endless labour, hardship, and survival. The future of Nigeria depends on how effectively it protects and invests in its youngest citizens today.

The sight of children working in markets, workshops, farms, and private homes should never become an accepted feature of everyday life. Instead, it should remind us that behind every young street hawker or domestic worker is a child whose dreams have been interrupted. Restoring those dreams is not merely an act of charity—it is a national responsibility. A society that protects its children safeguards its own future, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow, learn, and contribute meaningfully to the nation’s development.

Related Topics:ADULTS CHILD LABOUR CHILDREN STOLEN KIDS

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Warri Run and Rave Event Draws Political Protest Over Tinubu-Branded Shirts

Published

18 hours ago

October 1, 2026

Austin Olayinka

A Run and Rave event sponsored by Soft Nigeria in Warri, Delta State, was interrupted on Thursday after some participants protested against polo shirts bearing the image of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The event, held at PTI Junction as part of activities marking Nigeria’s Independence Day, attracted young people who gathered for the fitness and entertainment programme.

According to videos and reports from the scene, some participants objected after shirts bearing Tinubu’s image were distributed. Some were seen tearing the shirts, while others chanted the name of Peter Obi and shouted, “We no go wear.”

Edema Seun, a young man who attended the Run and Rave event, said he encountered supporters of Peter Obi on his way to the venue but decided to remain at the event.

“I met the Obi supporters on the way and I stayed back to enjoy the event I came for. Later on I heard that there were burning shirts,” Seun said.

Seun’s account indicates that he did not personally witness the reported burning of the shirts, but learnt about it later during the event.

Videos circulating online showed some participants tearing the shirts, while others gathered around the area where the disagreement occurred. The available footage does not establish the political affiliation of all the participants or indicate that everyone at the event took part in the protest.

The incident has since attracted attention on social media, with reactions focusing on the use of a political figure’s image at an event presented as a fitness and entertainment programme.

The development comes amid increased political activity ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general election, with supporters of different political figures increasingly visible at public gatherings and community events.

As of the time of filing this report, no detailed statement from Soft Nigeria explaining the distribution of the Tinubu-branded shirts or responding to the incident had been identified.

The Run and Rave event itself was organised as a fitness and entertainment gathering, while the political disagreement emerged during the programme over the shirts distributed to participants.

Politics

Nigeria @ 66: Tinubu Declares End of Emergency Reforms, Says Country Has Entered Age of Shared Prosperity

Published

1 day ago

October 1, 2026

Media Conversation

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Thursday, declared that Nigeria has passed the worst of its economic pains and has now entered the age of prosperity, in his 66th Independence Day address to the nation.

In an Independence Day celebration broadcast titled “From Reform to Prosperity”, the President said his administration chose to confront Nigeria’s deep economic distortions head-on when it assumed office in 2023, likening the country at that time to a cancer patient who must endure painful treatment to survive.

He said for too long Nigeria’s leaders chose morphine while praying for a miracle that never came, but his administration resolved to do things differently and excise the cancer.

Three and a half years after the removal of fuel subsidy and the foreign exchange reforms, Tinubu said the evidence of recovery is now undeniable.

He noted that the economy has grown by over four percent this year, with both oil and non-oil sectors contributing to stable growth, while oil theft has reduced and foreign direct investment continues to rise.

According to him, inflation has fallen substantially from its peak, foreign reserves have been rebuilt and the foreign exchange market has stabilised.

He added that in 2025 the country recorded its highest revenue from non-oil exports in history, exceeding six billion dollars, which he described as real money being made by real Nigerian businesses.

These, he said, are not idle claims, as international observers, journalists, NGOs and multilateral institutions have all concluded that the reforms have strengthened Nigeria’s stability and resilience.

The President said that with the foundation now repaired, the central task of government has changed from correcting the economy to delivering shared and widespread prosperity.

He explained that prosperity to him does not mean merely larger numbers or better statistics, but a Nigeria where the farmer can cultivate safely and earn a decent return, where factories have reliable power, businesses can obtain credit, young people can find productive work, food and transportation are affordable, education is within reach, and families can look to the future with confidence.

To achieve this, Tinubu said his government will focus on bringing down the cost of living by lowering the cost of producing and moving goods.

He outlined plans to expand mechanised irrigation and dry-season farming, improve access to seeds and fertiliser, increase mechanisation, invest in storage and transportation, and build and complete roads, railways and ports that connect farms and factories to markets.

His logic, he said, is simple: when farmers produce more cheaply, when fewer crops are lost between farm and market, when manufacturers spend less on electricity and trucks reach destinations faster in a competitive environment, those savings will ultimately reflect in market prices.

On jobs, the President said Nigeria’s youthful population must become an engine of production rather than a source of despair.

He pledged to use the nation’s gas to power new industries, support businesses to revive factories in industrial centres, expand digital connectivity into long-neglected communities, invest in relevant skills and provide infrastructure and finance for businesses to grow.

He said he wants to see more Nigerians making things, more farms feeding cities and supplying factories, more businesses selling Nigerian goods to the world, and young Nigerians building unicorns and creating opportunities at home.

Acknowledging that millions of citizens still struggle for daily meals, school fees and medical bills, the President said their plight is the accumulated consequence of decades of low productivity and weak institutions.

While this cannot be erased in four years, he said the course can be changed and the vulnerable will not be abandoned.

He pointed to strengthened direct support through an improved National Social Register for the poorest households, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund ensuring that children of low-income families can pursue higher education, and CREDICORP giving working Nigerians access to consumer credit for vehicles, solar systems and digital devices without years of savings.

He added that government has continued to pay salaries and pensions on time and in full, reformed the national pension programme, and is working with states and local governments to strengthen primary healthcare and basic education.

These programmes, he said, are not substitutes for prosperity but a bridge towards it, stressing that the objective is not to manage poverty more efficiently but to defeat it.

Tinubu urged Nigerians to resist calls by what he described as influential but regressive voices to abandon reforms and return to addictive subsidies, insisting that the nation must remember why the journey began.

He declared that the emergency treatment is over and the foundation has been repaired, saying Nigeria has corrected its course and passed through its own Red Sea.

While calling for unity and renewed faith, he said the promised land before the nation is one of abundance and opportunity where prosperity is broadly shared and every child can dream beyond the circumstances of birth.

He concluded that the destination is in sight, the foundations are strong and the direction is clear, urging Nigerians to go forward together with no looking back.

Education

DELSU Sets 77.3 as Highest Cut-Off Mark for 2026/2027, As Clinical Medicine Leads Admission Race

Published

3 weeks ago

September 9, 2026

Media Conversation

Delta State University, Abraka has released its approved UTME cut-off marks for the 2026/2027 admission session.

The release comes barely 24 hours after the state-owned institution released its first batch of admission for the incoming session.

The announcement, released on Wednesday, 9th September 2026 by the Public Relations Unit of the Directorate of Ceremonials, Information and Public Relations, spells out the minimum scores candidates must attain across the university’s 16 faculties to qualify for admission.

Leading the pack is the Faculty of Clinical Medicine, where Clinical Science carries the highest cut-off of 77.3.

This is closely followed by other health and professional courses that remain the most competitive in the university.

Nursing Science requires 71.2, while Law is set at 70.5. Both Dentistry and Pharmacy also stand at 70.0.

The story is different in several other faculties where the baseline cut-off remains at 40.

This applies to most programmes in the Faculties of Agriculture, Education, Environmental Sciences, and Social Sciences.

In the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, candidates seeking admission into Medical Laboratory Science will need 65.3, while Pharmacology is pegged at 53.8 and Public Health at 50.

Candidates seeking admission into Engineering courses will have to meet varied benchmarks with Mechanical Engineering having the highest in the faculty at 52.5, followed by Petroleum Engineering at 51.5 and Electrical/Electronic Engineering at 50.5.

Chemical Engineering and Civil Engineering are lower at 45 and 42.9 respectively.

For management-related courses, Accounting leads with 56.7, Business Administration at 55.1, and Public Administration at 52.

In the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Mass Communication requires 55.7, while other programmes such as Advertising, Broadcasting, Journalism and Public Relations are at 40.

The Faculty of Computing also sets Computer Science at 56.5, with Cyber Security, Software Engineering, Information Technology and related courses pegged at 40.

In the Faculty of Arts, Theatre Arts and History & International Studies require 50 and 50.6 respectively, while English, French, Music,

Linguistics and Fine Arts are at 40. The Faculty of Science places Microbiology at 50 and Biochemistry at 48.2, with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Geology and other courses at 40.

Meanwhile, DELSU has discontinued all forms of manual clearance for graduating students as management has approved that the entire process will now be conducted online with immediate effect.

According to the university’s official bulletin dated Wednesday, 2nd September 2026, the new clearance process will be carried out entirely through the student’s portal.