NBA President Seeks Stronger Child Rights Act Enforcement

President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, has called for stronger enforcement of the Child Rights Act and its effective domestication across Nigeria, warning that legal protection must translate into practical safety for girls.

The NBA President made the call in a statement marking the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child.

She said that despite legislation designed to protect children, many girls continue to experience child marriage, harmful practices and barriers to education that restrict their choices and future opportunities. Punch Newspapers

Her intervention places attention on one of the persistent weaknesses in Nigeria’s rights framework: the gap between the existence of a law and its implementation.

The Child Rights Act establishes protections covering education, dignity, freedom from abuse and exploitation and other fundamental interests of children.

But practical enforcement differs across the federation.

Badejo-Okusanya said the protection of girls should be treated as a question of human rights, justice and the rule of law, rather than charity.

Her argument is simple: legislation has failed in its purpose if the children it was enacted to protect remain unable to rely on it.

The NBA’s position also intersects with questions around juvenile justice, legal aid and the responsibilities of state institutions to intervene where children face violence or exploitation.

For lawyers, the challenge is therefore not only to advocate new legislation.

It is to ensure that existing protections can actually be invoked in police stations, schools, communities and courts.

The NBA President’s intervention adds institutional weight to calls for better implementation, enforcement and public accountability around children’s rights.