The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday unveiled the Nigerian Child 2025 Report, revealing that despite improvements in health, birth registration and humanitarian support, millions of Nigerian children continue to face severe deprivations.
Launching the report in Kano during activities marking World Children’s Day, the Chief of the UNICEF Field Office, Mr. Rahama Farah, said under-five deaths in Nigeria have dropped by 43 per cent since 1990, while full immunization coverage has tripled since 2003.
He noted that birth registration continues to rise, and more than 1.3 million people living in humanitarian settings accessed health services in the first half of 2025.
However, Farah warned that these gains are threatened by worsening vulnerabilities, particularly in the North-West, where malnutrition rates remain among the highest in the world. He said rural children are still far less likely to receive basic vaccines, while one in nine Nigerian children dies before the age of five.
The report shows that two in five children under five are stunted, and that poverty, insecurity and weak learning environments continue to push millions out of school. According to the document, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa account for 16 per cent of Nigeria’s 10.2 million out-of-school children.
Farah highlighted ongoing interventions such as the Masaki nutrition model in Jigawa, Katsina State’s over N1 billion investment in Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food, and nutrition budget allocations by all Katsina local governments.
He added that Katsina has achieved Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, while Kano and Jigawa are implementing measures to strengthen immunization, upgrade health facilities and expand digital learning through the Nigeria Learning Passport.
Farah called on the media to amplify the report’s findings, stressing that UNICEF remains committed to ensuring that every Nigerian child survives, learns and thrives.
