By Prisca Sam-Duru

One of Nigeria’s cultural hubs, Quintessence Gallery, Ikoyi Lagos, will play host to the public presentation of a new book on Child’s rights titled, “Human Rights: Legal Protection of Children in Nigeria”, written by Professor Yinka Olomojobi. 

The presentation of the book, with a Foreword by Femi Falana, SAN, comes up on 15th December, 2022. 

The rights of children have been to an extent neglected in Nigeria despite a vast dossier of international, regional and national laws upholding the rights of the child.

 There has indeed, been a reluctance to promote the rights of the child in Nigeria given the fact that it appears intangible and difficult to ascertain. Beyond doubt, the rights of the child are the most important group rights, simply because they are the building block of society and the next generation. 

Despite being a vulnerable group, the rights of the child has not been taken seriously in this part of the world, for reason not exclusive to complexities of a developing state, a weak gross domestic product (GDP), a declining economy, lack of infrastructures and given the fact that a vast number of human rights of adults have not been taken seriously by the state.

 It is clear to an extent, that the inadequate standard of living of adults has indeed affected the rights of the child, therefore leading to ubiquitous child poverty. Furthermore, due to the existence of a primordial and traditional societal values the wishes and desires of the child are subject to the approval of the adult.

In this state, the child’s right to dignity and respect may be circumscribed. It is, however, important to state that the child’s wishes and desires are of course, subject to the parent and care giver in so far as the best interest of the child is paramount. 

“Human Rights: Legal Protection of Children in Nigeria”,  has been conceptualized on the rights on the child. The rights of the child has been cloaked under the broad rights of adults, notwithstanding the unique individual rights of children.

The crux of this book is to illustrate that children have the same quantum of rights as adults, in other words children’s rights are human rights as well as ‘special rights’, which is often referred to as child specific provisions. What is observed from study is that the ‘best interest of the child’, is a consistent variable throughout the 17 chapters of the book.

Of course the best interest of the child cannot be discoursed in isolation. The obligations of parents, guardians and caretakers as care givers and duty bearers are laden with the responsibility of upholding the interests of the child. 

For clarity, the author has provided a comprehensive exposition of the law, while treating the subject of the book, employing international law; the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child [2000] the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child [1990] and particularly on the Child Rights Act [2003]. 

One would confess that Nigerian cases on child’s rights are evolving, but not expansive. It was therefore expedient and necessary to draw from international case law, especially from the United Kingdom and the European Court of human Rights as persuasive authorities where Nigerian case law has not evolved on the subject and particularly on grey areas of the law.

This is particularly useful as a guide and influencer for developing and evolving case law in Nigeria. It is also important for the reader to note that the chapters are dependent and independent from one another. This being the case, the reader would notice an iteration of laws and legal discussions where necessary in order to provide adequate absorption of the topic in each of the chapters.

The book is useful for students, legal practitioners and members of the Bench seeking both latent and salient insights on the complexities of childs rights law. 

The structure of the book is culled from the Childs Rights Act [2003], while the chapters are organized from the Parts containing sections of the Childs Right Act.