BY JUMAI NWACHUKWU/CHIKA KWAMBA/RITA OYIBOKA
HE walks with a limp now, slow, deliberate, and marked by a peculiar twist of the right leg that folds awkwardly toward the left. To many, it looks like something he was born with, a cruel trick of nature. But Mr Moses, now grey-haired and soft-spoken in his 70s, once peeled back the silence. “It wasn’t God that gave me this limp,” he said. “It was school.”
Not just any school, a Nigerian boarding school, where seniority meant power, and power often meant cruelty. Moses was just a boy when he entered those gates, bright-eyed and full of promise. But what awaited him was not education; it was endurance.
While others turned in their bunks, chasing the last scraps of sleep before morning, Moses, the ‘water boy’, was already up, shivering, and marching toward the river. Every day, two heavy buckets: one perched on his head, the other dragging down his right arm.
The path was long and unforgiving, and he made it over and over, sometimes seven times, all before the school bell rang. His spine began to bend under the weight, his posture twisted, and over time, his walk, his very body, was permanently altered.
His story isn’t unique. In many Nigerian secondary schools, especially boarding houses, bullying hides behind words like “seniority,” “discipline,” and “tradition.” Mr Moses walks with a limp. But more haunting is the fact that hundreds of children today still walk into schools that break them in silence.
This Children’s Day, May 27, 2025, Nigeria’s First Lady, Sen Remi Tinubu, shattered that silence. Her goodwill message ignited a long-overdue national conversation on the pervasive culture of bullying in Nigerian schools. She called it what it is: a direct threat to children’s emotional and academic well-being.
“As a mother, I call on all Nigerians to take an active stand against bullying,” she said. “Let us teach our children that strength lies in compassion, and that true leadership begins with looking out for one another.”
The First Lady didn’t mince words. She described bullying in all its forms, schoolyard cruelty, community ostracism, and cyber harassment as “lasting wounds that hinder a child’s emotional, social, and academic development.” Her plea was simple but powerful: every child deserves to grow up in a safe, supportive environment, free from fear.
Echoing her concerns, President Bola Tinubu pledged the federal government’s commitment to building a safer Nigeria for all children. He highlighted the theme of this year’s celebration, “Stand Up, Speak Up: Building a Bullying-Free Generation”, as both timely and urgent.
“This speaks directly to the culture we are building, a culture where every child feels safe, respected, and heard, both in physical spaces and digital communities,” he said. “Just to be clear, violence, bullying, and neglect have no place in the Nigeria of today.”
President Tinubu cited damning statistics: over one-third of children globally face bullying regularly. In Nigeria, it’s even worse; up to 65 per cent of school-age children are victims of physical, psychological, or social aggression.
“This is unacceptable. A child who learns in fear cannot learn well. A child who grows in fear cannot grow right,” he asserted.
Delta Takes A Stand
The message resonated deeply in Delta State, where the Children’s Day celebration saw the state’s political leaders take an equally firm stand. The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Community, and Social Development, Hon. Pat Ajudua, gave an impassioned keynote address that peeled back the societal rot beneath bullying.
“Bullying is a trait that seeks to harm, intimidate, or coerce the vulnerable. It is eating deeply into the fabric of our society, and alarmingly, into our educational system,” she warned.
The Commissioner called for a multi-sectoral approach to tackle the scourge, from education and religion to governance and civil society: “We must work together to establish a clear, enforceable policy to address bullying in our schools.”
Ajudua also turned the spotlight on parents and religious leaders, challenging them to take responsibility as moral guides. “Only through a connected, concerted effort can we rid society of this scourge,” she said.
To the children, her message was direct: “Bullying is not a show of strength, it is a display of inner weakness masked by aggression. Do not allow yourself to be bullied. Stand up. Speak up. Silence protects the bully, not the victim.”
Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori did not leave room for ambiguity either when he declared a zero-tolerance policy for bullying in state schools.
“As a father to every child in Delta, I say this loud and clear: bullying must stop. We are committed to protecting your rights as enshrined in the Child Rights Law, but laws alone are not enough. That is why I have directed the Ministry of Education to develop and implement a strong anti-bullying policy for all schools in the state,” he said.
Addressing the children directly, he described them as “the heart and future of Delta State,” and vowed that their welfare and rights would remain a top priority.
Commending the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs for the powerful theme, the Governor called bullying a “serious problem” that has led to “tragic situations where children have been badly hurt or lost their lives.
“Our schools must be safe, secure, and serene environments for learning. We want to raise children who are kind, respectful, and disciplined,” he said.
Governor Oborevwori urged empathy, too: “Many bullies come from homes devoid of love, guidance, and discipline. As adults, we must teach by example.” To the students, his appeal was one of empowerment: “You are strong, smart, and full of potential. Speak up. Ask for help. Be kind. Make friends who uplift you.”
And then he drove the message home: “Together, with love, courage, and unity, we can build a Delta State where no child is afraid to go to school.”
The Speaker of the Delta State Children’s Parliament, Rt. Hon. Udoka Emmanuel brought the voice of the youth into the mix. His speech added a sobering context: “In 12 out of 15 school shooting incidents in the 1990s, the perpetrators were found to have a history of being bullied.”
In Nigeria, the numbers are staggering, between 70 per cent and 85 per cent of students report being bullied.
“Stand up. Speak up,” he urged. “It’s about showing courage, defending others, and changing our culture.”
He reminded everyone that standing up means more than just physical resistance. It’s social activism. “Speak your mind,” he quoted Maggie Kuhn, “even if your voice shakes.”
Real Stories, Real Trauma
But statistics and speeches only scratch the surface. The reality on the ground is much darker.
In Dowen College, Lagos, 12-year-old Sylvester Oromoni died in November 2021 from internal injuries allegedly sustained after a brutal beating by fellow students. His “crime”? Refusing to join a cult group. School authorities claimed he was injured playing football, but his parents say he confessed on his deathbed that five boys attacked him in his room, fed him a harmful chemical, and left him to die.
In 2018, at a special school for the Deaf in Kuje, Abuja, an 11-year-old boy revealed, through sign language, that he had been raped, beaten, and forced to perform oral sex by older students. He spoke of being taken to nighttime rituals where children were made to bleed, perform erotic acts, and witness killings. The school denied all allegations, but police investigations reportedly confirmed abuse.
In August 2021, at Government Secondary School Kwali, Abuja, 13-year-old Aliyu was beaten to death by his teacher for failing to complete an assignment. The boy had earlier sought medical help at the school clinic but was turned away because he hadn’t eaten. After the beating, he collapsed at his desk and died shortly after being taken to the hospital.
Despite the outrage, the case fizzled out. Justice remains a ghost.
Speaking with The Pointer on the scourge of school bullying, a teacher, Mr Daniel Owa, called for immediate reform in school discipline policies. “The Federal Ministry of Education should immediately introduce a regulation banning students in primary or secondary schools, including school prefects, from beating or punishing other students for any reason, or sending them on errands,” he said.
“Only school staff who are old enough to bear full legal consequences should be allowed to discipline students.”
Owa stressed that schools must not become breeding grounds for abuse. “Parents don’t send their kids to school to be used as slaves or to be brutally punished by their peers. They send them there to be educated. Bullying and being bullied are distractions that should no longer be tolerated.
“Any student caught engaging in such acts must face suspension, and schools that enable it should be fined heavily, proportional to their revenue.”
For others like Mrs Blessing Ojogan, a businesswoman and mother of four, bullying in Nigerian schools is far from new. “It has been going on for decades.”
Ojogan shared a personal account: “One of my neighbours had to withdraw her son from a unity school five years ago because of bullying. The boy came home looking thin and sick. He told us seniors had beaten one of his friends so badly that he fainted and had to be rushed to the hospital. Shockingly, school authorities told him to lie and say he fell from a tree.”
However, not everyone agrees that all senior-student interactions should be labelled as bullying. Mr Monday Isaiah, a father of two, offered a more traditional perspective. “Bullying is part of human nature. People will always prey on the weak, it’s just nature,” he said.
He argued that some level of hierarchy is essential to maintaining order. “Running errands or being punished by seniors for breaking school rules isn’t necessarily bullying. It’s about enforcing school hierarchy. Seniors play a key role in keeping things orderly, especially when teachers are overwhelmed.”
Still, Isaiah acknowledged the risks involved when power is handed to teenagers without oversight. “The real problem is the abuse of power. Most seniors are given authority without being taught responsibility. That’s where things go wrong.”
As a solution, he suggested clearer guidelines and accountability. “Schools should develop a rulebook, a ‘dos and don’ts’ for all students, to guide behaviour. Anyone who breaks the rules should face the appropriate consequences.”
Another respondent, Hon. Monu-Oduah emphasized the urgent need to address educational disparities across Nigeria, particularly for vulnerable and out-of-school children.
According to her, the theme for this year’s celebration emphasizes ensuring that all children enjoy their fundamental rights, which are as follows: The right to education. Right to health.
“Education remains the most powerful tool for breaking the cycle of poverty and building sustainable communities,” she said, adding “Governments must prioritize education by increasing funding, ensuring accountability in the sector, and implementing gender-responsive budgeting.”
She highlighted the importance of supporting out-of-school children, many of whom face socio-economic, cultural, or gender-related barriers that prevent access to formal education.
“We must not leave any child behind,” she added. “Every child deserves a chance at a better future, and that starts with access to quality education.”
Hon. Monu-Oduah also urged greater transparency in the allocation and use of education funds, calling for improved oversight to ensure resources are used effectively and equitably. She urged policymakers to “invest in children’s futures today,” noting that the dividends of such investments will shape a stronger and more equitable Nigeria.
Similarly, the Assistant Parish Priest, of Emmanuel the Saviour Catholic Church, Rev. Fr. Anthony Egbunowon, hosted children from various places to commemorate the 2025 Children’s Day celebration.
Speaking during the Mass, he encouraged the children to remain truthful in all they do and to always place their trust in God. He emphasized the importance of growing up with strong Christian values and a deep sense of moral responsibility.
Fr. Egbunowon reminds parents and the Government that children are the future of tomorrow and, therefore should be treated with utmost priority, especially in the areas of their education. He called on parents to continue to pay attention to their children and ensure they become better people in the future.
Also, in a remarkable gesture to support education and youth empowerment, Hon. (Dr.) Kenneth Gbandi, a former senatorial candidate awarded 20 scholarships to deserving pupils of Akwukwu-Igbo in celebration of this year’s Children’s Day.
Dr. Gbandi who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Gbandi4Nigeria Organization, Ms. Ugochukwu Chinenye praised the Akwukwu-Igbo Student Association (ASA) for organizing what he described as a “landmark” Children’s Day celebration. He lauded ASA’s leadership under Comrade Stanley Ognolu for going beyond academics to promote youth engagement, unity, and community development.
“Children are not just our hope for tomorrow; they are the pulse of our community today,” Gbandi added. “Akwukwu-Igbo’s future is bright with the energy, intelligence, and unity we see in our youth,” he said.
According to a Children’s advocate and Teen Coach, Pastor Douglas Okoh.
“Today, we celebrate one of life’s greatest gifts our children. Children are a blessing from God, the only doorway through which every human enters this world.
From Abuja, an academician, Mrs.Chidi Kenechukwu asserted the theme from a Biblical standpoint she said; ‘’The Bible, speaking in Proverbs 22:6. Says Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
From the four walls of the classroom, the head teacher of Wisula Ascend Schools, Okpanam, Mrs Beatrice Erheriene, has this to say, on “Little Footsteps, Big Future”.
‘’Today, we celebrate the little ones who are taking their first steps towards a brighter future. Every small step they take, every new thing they learn, and every challenge they overcome brings them closer to achieving their dreams.
The Way Forward
Experts agree: that ending bullying requires a united, all-hands-on-deck approach. Parents must model empathy, speak openly about bullying, and create safe spaces where children can talk without fear. Teach them to stand up, not lash out.
Teachers must identify early warning signs, intervene swiftly, and provide emotional support, not just punish. Confidential reporting systems must be institutionalised.
Schools must adopt clear, enforceable zero-tolerance policies. Enough of letting issues “slide” to protect reputations.
The government must train educators, enforce child rights laws, and fund nationwide public awareness campaigns. There must be consequences for negligence.
Stand Up. Speak Up. Because Every Child Matters.
Children must not be left to face this menace alone. As Malala Yousafzai aptly said, “One child, one teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world.”
In a country where one in every three students faces bullying regularly, change must start now. Let us not wait for more Mr Moseses, Oromonis, or Aliyus before we act.
The dream of a bullying-free generation may seem lofty. But it is not impossible. Not when leaders speak up. Not when schools listen. Not when parents act. And certainly not when children believe they have the right to feel safe.
As Children’s Day fades into memory, the real test is what comes next. Will this be another cycle of outrage followed by silence? Or will it be the beginning of a new chapter, where Nigeria truly builds a generation that stands up and speaks up?
The answer lies in what we do today.
The children are ready to stand.
The question is: Are we?
