By: Manoah Kikekon
MAEJT Nigeria organization for the Welfare of Working Children and Youth, has culminated its 2025 activities with a national gathering under the theme, “Reviewing Our Journey and Strengthening Safeguarding Practices.”
The event, held on Thursday at the organization’s national office community Badagry, Lagos State, brought together representatives from over 12 affiliated associations for Lagos and Ogun state and a significant leadership transition. The celebratory yet strategic meeting served as a platform to reflect on two decades of advocacy.
Halilu Awesu, the National Coordinator, highlighted MAEJT Nigeria’s 21-year legacy of protecting children's rights. He detailed the current flagship initiative: “This year, we are running a project tagged ‘Protection of Exploited Child Domestic Workers in Nigeria.’ We have reached eight communities across Lagos State, engaging stakeholders on local policies to protect working children,” Awesu stated. The project has directly impacted over 800 children in communities like Lagos Island, Makoko, and Badagry, with 120 identified domestic workers receiving consistent rights-based follow-up.
Awesu further emphasized MAEJT’s broader national and regional impact, noting membership across 28 African countries. “We are part of the West Africa Network for the Protection of Migrant Children and have successfully reintegrated 129 children back to their families in Benue, Edo, Port Harcourt, mostly to the parts of Northern and Eastern Nigeria,” he said. He called for a collective responsibility, urging, “Let everyone see child protection as their duty.”
Clara Jamson, the MAEJT delegate from Dakar, Senegal, who underscored the plight of child domestic workers: “It is often about children forced to work without access to their rights. Everyone should know these children need respect.”
The event featured a poignant transition of leadership. Odusola Oluwatunmise, the outgoing National Delegate for the 2021-2025 term, described her tenure as “a memorable one, exposing me to advocating for vulnerable children.”
Her successor, Fawuyi Caleb, expressed excitement at his election, attributing it to his consistent efforts within the movement. “This encourages other members to put their best into the organization,” he affirmed.
In a heartwarming moment, Meriam Kusika, a youth accompanier from Makoko, was awarded for her contributions. “I never saw this coming,” she said. “This is to tell everyone to keep doing what they are good at people are watching.”