By IJEOMA UKAZU
A new international survey by UNICEF and Gallup, released ahead of World Children’s Day, marked annually on 20 November reports that Nigerian children and young people feel under the most pressure to succeed globally.
In a statement made available to our correspondent and signed by Dr. Geoffrey Njoku, Communication Specialist, UNICEF Nigeria, Thursday, noted that one in six young Nigerians are suffering from mental health problems.
According to the statement, “Data from the survey reveals that young people in Nigeria are facing a mental health challenge, with one in six young Nigerians aged 15 -24 saying they often feel depressed, have little interest in doing things, or are worried, nervous or anxious.
“As much as 85 per cent say they feel a greater pressure to succeed than their elders – the highest of all 21 countries surveyed, with young people in Lebanon a close second.”
The poll, The Changing Childhood Project, is the first of its kind to ask multiple generations for their views on what it is like to be a child today. It surveyed more than 21,000 people in 21 countries, including Nigeria. Nationally representative surveys were undertaken in countries across all regions – Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America – and income levels, across two age cohorts (15-24 years old and 40 years old and up).
The survey – conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic – examines young people’s opinions about their mental health, worldview, trust in institutions, the importance of equality, climate change, and digital benefits and risks, among others.
Findings from the survey also show that young Nigerians are more concerned than young people in any other country surveyed about personal information being collected and shared online, at 72 per cent. The next highest are young people in Indonesia, at 63 per cent, and Kenya, at 54 per cent.
Children and young people in Nigeria also show high levels of concern about the risks of meeting someone in person after meeting them online, at 84 per cent, slightly higher than children in the United States (81 per cent) and Brazil (82 per cent).
In the area of finances, young Nigerians again showed a high level of concern, with 74 per cent of females and 66 per cent of males worried they don’t have enough money for food.
“Children and young people in Nigeria clearly have a high level of concern about many and varied issues, compared to their peers in other countries,” said UNICEF Nigeria Representative Peter Hawkins.
“We cannot bury our heads in the sand and hope these concerns will go away – we need to take action. And the first step is to solicit their views, really listen closely and allow their concerns and ideas to influence our policy decisions.
“The future of Nigeria belongs to its children and young people – they have the right to be heard, have their needs addressed and their solutions explored. It is only through commitment to understanding and investing more in our children and young people’s presents and futures that we can maximize every child’s potential and ensure they have a full and happy life,” Hawkins said.