The Lagos State Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) will on Thursday, 28 August 2025, open its annual Press Week with a national dialogue on child abuse, one of Nigeria’s most pervasive but underreported crises.
The symposium, themed “Silent Cries: Uncovering the Deep-Rooted Crisis of Child Abuse in Nigeria and the Role of the Media in Breaking the Cycle,” will highlight the urgent need for collective action.
According to a statement signed by Chapel Chairman, Comrade Abraham Akpabio, and Planning Committee Chairman, Comrade Joshua Uloko, the event will feature His Eminence, Primate Elijah Babatunde Ayodele, Founder of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, as keynote speaker.
Primate Ayodele, known for his humanitarian advocacy, is expected to stress the responsibility of faith leaders, journalists, and policymakers in protecting children from violence, exploitation, neglect, and harmful traditional practices.
Discussions will explore practical solutions such as early detection of abuse, safe reporting channels, stronger enforcement of child rights laws, and mobilizing religious and cultural leaders against harmful norms.
Key panel sessions include “Faith, Culture, and Abuse: When Tradition Fails the Child” and “The Legal Disconnect: Are Nigeria’s Child Protection Laws Enough?”
The NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel has urged journalists, civil society, policymakers, and stakeholders to participate and amplify the call for a safer, more just Nigeria for children.
