The Head of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Gautier Mignot, has expressed concern over the global scale of educational exclusion and child marriage. He revealed that approximately 129 million girls are out of school, while 12 million are affected by early and forced marriage every year. Mignot warned that at the current rate of progress, it may take 300 years to end child marriage, according to UN assessments.
Mignot made these remarks at the grand finale of the 2026 National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS)-EU inter-secondary school debate in Abuja, held to commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child. The debate focused on the motion, ‘Empowering the Girl Child Is More Effective Than Punishing Offenders in Ending Child Marriage.’ Four secondary schools participated, examining measures to eliminate the harmful practice.
Government Day Secondary School, Dutse, Abuja, emerged the overall winner, securing 89 per cent and taking home the grand prize of N1 million. The school argued in favour of punishing offenders and defeated Government Science Secondary School, Maitama; Baptist High School, Kubwa; and Ambassador Global Academy, Kwali. The winning team will visit the EU Delegation to learn about its activities and development initiatives.
Mignot stated that the EU’s Gender Action Plan III aims to advance gender equality through international partnerships, with at least 85 per cent of EU-funded projects incorporating gender considerations. The EU supports programmes addressing gender-based violence, adolescent reproductive health, and girls’ education, recognising gender equality as essential to societal development.
The Director-General of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, urged governments to increase investment in public education, citing the students' performances as evidence of public schools' capacity to produce outstanding results despite funding challenges. He commended the participants for their intelligence, confidence, and strong argumentative skills, demonstrating the intellectual abilities and potential of students.
The debate provided an opportunity to strengthen advocacy, confidence, and leadership skills among young people, particularly girls, while encouraging them to pursue equal opportunities. Mignot described the event as a platform to promote gender equality and empower girls to take action against child marriage and educational exclusion.
Key stakeholders emphasised the need for collective action to address the issues of educational exclusion and child marriage. The event concluded with a call for targeted investments and interventions to tackle structural inequalities that expose girls to early marriage and deny them access to education.
Key points
- 129 million girls worldwide remain out of school.
- 12 million girls are affected by early and forced marriage annually.
- The EU supports programmes addressing gender-based violence, adolescent reproductive health, and girls’ education.
