Leaders of tomorrow in the mud
This is the worst year to be a child
Happy Friday, Big Brains. I love how November is so quick to get out of our faces. I can’t even complain because I’m mentally in 2025 already. Btw, you should join Zikoko’s X space today. We’re talking about how to get a global talent visa. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be one of the Nigerians that will likely get to vote from the diaspora in 2027.
Word count: ~ 1, 000
Reading time ~ 3 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Nigerian children need more attention from the FG
Nigerians living abroad might get to vote in 2027
The Big Deal
Nigerian children need more attention from the FG
We were all pretty pissed off and ashamed just a few weeks ago when the Nigerian government arrested minors and charged them with treason, but the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has come out now to tell us for the hundredth time we should be very ashamed.
In its 2024 report on the state of Nigerian children, the UN agency read the Nigerian government for filth. For starters, the report says that almost 4.9 million kids in the country are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
Continuing the dragging, the report also revealed that one in two children (who make up nearly half of Nigeria’s population of 110 million population, mind you) live in poverty.
Illiteracy and poverty typically go hand-in-hand, so it’s not surprising that the UNICEF report also shows that 18.3 million kids are out of school. This includes 10.2 million primary school-age children and 8.1 million secondary school-age children.
UNICEF’s representative Cristian Munduate said these disturbing numbers can be easily traced back to the fact that the budget for health and education isn’t big enough to guarantee a bright future for Nigerian children.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), has recommended in the past that Nigeria should spend between 15% and 20% of its annual budget on the education sector. But in the 2024 budget, the education sector received ₦1.54 trillion, representing 6.39% of the total budget. It’s even more insane when you realise how close the budget for the entire education sector is to the ₦1.04 trillion allocated to pay government officials' salaries and other recurring expenditures.
Why is this a big deal?
Besides illiteracy, UNICEF’s report also shows that the incompetence of the Nigerian government is exposing children in the country to health risks. About 2.1 million children have never received a single vaccination while 40% of kids under the age of five in Nigeria suffer stunted growth.
There are tons of research showing that children who suffer stunted growth suffer the consequences of this malnutrition all their lives, and that the countries of those children will suffer economic loss as a result of that, but our newsletter is too short to get into it so here’s a little nugget from a UNICEF paper on the matter: “Undernutrition in childhood, primarily as measured by stunting or height-for-age, is consistently linked to worse economic outcomes as an adult.”
Earlier this year, the United Nations reported that Nigeria currently has the highest number of children affected by the shortage of proper nutrition and food —5.9 million children specifically, so there’s also that.
A recent report by Intelpoint, an insight-driven organisation that provides data from different sectors, shows that Nigeria’s inflation rate is going neck-to-neck with war-torn countries like Palestine and South Sudan. The embarrassing numbers clearly show that children are taking the biggest hit as Nigeria battles its worst economic crisis in years and as the inflation rate continues to rise, so will the number of impoverished and out-of-school children in the country.
When you add all these to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) report showing that children in Nigeria (and some parts of Sub-Saharan Africa) are likely to live four years less than children in other regions and 25% likely to grow up in poverty, you have yourself the recipe for a perfectly depressing weekend. Sorry, to be the bearer of this awful news
Nigerians living abroad might get to vote in 2027
The House of Representatives just gave the green light to a bill that could make your uncle in America (or your cousin in London) part of the voting process in 2027.
The bill, co-sponsored by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen and Sodeeq Abdullahi, is proposed to amend the 2022 Electoral Act and bring diaspora voting to life. In other words, all the Nigerians angry-tweeting from abroad might soon have a say in the country’s political scene as the bill has already passed the second reading.
On the “pro” hand, it could promote democracy in Nigeria by bringing a new level of engagement and accountability to the voting process through the millions of Nigerians scattered all over the world.
But there are some cons, too– Since Nigeria is exploring this type of voting for the first time, there’s going to be a lot to figure out. From setting up secure voting systems to ensuring that votes are counted fairly, we are curious about how this will play out considering that Nigeria’s track record with things like "smooth" processes isn’t exactly the best.
After passing the second reading, the bill was sent to the constitution amendment committee for further action so don’t be surprised if it becomes law soon.
How has this played out in other African countries?
In South Africa, citizens in the diaspora have a say in national elections. Does it work? Kind of, but not perfectly. While the idea is good, the process has its flaws, as diaspora voters can only cast their ballots at South African embassies or consulates, which can be inconvenient and stressful to access.
It’s a simple enough process, but given the not-so-great turnout recorded, it seems like the system could use a little more “wow” factor—maybe a digital option or something that makes it easier for people to get involved.
For this to work in Nigeria, the country would have to learn from what other countries like South Africa are still missing and use that knowledge to create a better voting experience for voters in the diaspora (if the bill is passed, of course).
The Big Picks
Reps Vote Against Bill Seeking Six-Year Single Term For President, Governor: The House of Representatives has thrown out a bill proposing a single six-year term for the president and state governors. The bill, which aimed to amend the Constitution, didn’t get the support it needed to move forward.
Sanwo-Olu Presents ₦3trn 2025 Budget To Lagos Assembly: Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has presented ₦3.005 trillion as Lagos State's proposed budget for 2025. The budget, presented before the state House of Assembly, will cover the state’s priorities next year.
If you enjoyed this edition of the newsletter, don’t forget to subscribe and share. You can also leave feedback for us in the comments or by filling out this form.