As the world celebrates the 2019 International Children’s Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) today, Sunday, March 3, 2019, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has called on the Nigerian media to open airwaves to children to air their views on issues that concern them.

In Nigeria, as in other countries, most stations are expected to give control of their operations to children, who will take part in newscasts, productions and presentations.

Articles 12 and 14 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child say that children have the right to form their own views and to express their views freely through the media on matters affecting them. This is what the International Day of Broadcasting tries to realise.

The theme for this year’s celebration is, ‘End Malnutrition: Protect the Future of the Nigerian Child’. The theme highlights the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child that all children, irrespective of their status and situation, should enjoy their rights to Survival and Development as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Child Rights Act (CRA) 2003.

Alhaji Mohammed called on the media “to give Nigerian children the opportunity to commemorate this year’s ICDB by making their platforms available for children irrespective of their status, location, ability or disability a chance to promote their rights and to contribute to national development,” the ministry said in a statement signed by its Deputy Director, Head, Advocacy (CRIB), Mr. Olu Osanyieju.