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Date: May 28, 2026
Do it for the Children
How many orphans and vulnerable children are there in Nigeria today? The honest answer is nobody truly knows. In Nigeria, when I visited, I saw them. I held them. Every day, millions of unaccompanied children flood the streets and markets. Their clothes are in shambles, and their feet are bare. School is a distant dream.
Orphans are typically defined as children under 18 who have lost one or both parents. Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) is a broader category that includes not only orphans but also children facing extreme risks — from poverty, HIV/AIDS in the family, armed conflict, displacement, disability, or inadequate care — even if both parents are alive. In 2008, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development estimated 17.5 million OVC — roughly one in every four Nigerian children at the time. That figure continues to be widely cited nearly two decades later, even as the country’s total population has grown 54% to an estimated 242 million in 2026, with nearly 110 million children and adolescents. As Islamic terror ramped up and spread, Nigeria stopped tracking the numbers.
Nigeria’s government announced plans for a new national OVC survey in 2024, but as of mid-2026, no comprehensive updated national total has been released. Given ongoing insurgency, conflict, poverty, and displacement, the true number is almost certainly higher today. A Crisis Compounded by Violence, Displacement, and Educational CollapseSince 2009, Nigeria has endured relentless violence from groups like Boko Haram, ISWAP, Fulani militants and other jihadist groups, particularly in the North and Middle Belt. This has displaced millions and left deep scars on families and communities. Many communities continue to be occupied by terrorists without government intervention. They can’t safely go home. The attack on Yelewata last June, and others like it, prove they aren’t safe in the camps.
As of early 2026, Nigeria officially has approximately 3.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), the vast majority women and children. Again, these are old, irrelevant numbers. Many human rights groups report the actual number is far higher, likely 12-13 million IDPs. Many receive little to no government assistance, especially Christian communities targeted in the Middle Belt and elsewhere. Many don’t exist on paper; they’re just tiny bundles of flesh and blood languishing under the stars. The education system reveals the scale of the failure. Recent data from the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, shows that of nearly 30 million pupils enrolled in primary school, only 6 million eventually advance to senior secondary education — meaning roughly 24 million children drop out along the way. UNICEF consistently reports around 10.5 million children aged 5–14 out of school, with broader estimates (including adolescents) reaching 18–20 million. Many of these children live in IDP camps or informal settlements, where trauma, malnutrition, and lack of services are rampant.
I have seen this reality firsthand. In Benue State IDP camps and overflowing orphanages in Plateau, I met children with distended bellies and haunted eyes — beautiful souls carrying unimaginable trauma. Their smiles mask deep pain. To much of the world, they remain invisible. To those who have looked into their faces, they are impossible to forget.
International Organizations Are Failing ThemIt is unconscionable that major international bodies — including the UN, U.S. agencies, and prominent human rights organizations — continue quoting statistics that are 18 years old for OVC while the scale of suffering has grown. This creates a dangerous illusion of knowledge where ignorance actually reigns. Without current, credible data, effective humanitarian response is crippled.
At Save the Persecuted Christians and through the U.S.-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition, we are calling for urgent action. A transparent, nationwide census of orphans, vulnerable children, widows and IDPs — conducted with independent international observers — is essential. Nigeria cannot do this alone, and the international community cannot afford to remain blind. We urge President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to press the Nigerian government for this census and to ensure that aid reaches the most vulnerable, particularly displaced Christians who receive little to no government support.
These children need to be counted — so they can be helped. A credible census is the foundation for real solutions. Dede Laugesen is President and CEO of Save the Persecuted Christians, a U.S.-based nonprofit advocating for persecuted Christians worldwide. Contact: Your support is needed. Please prayerfully consider contributing to the work of Save the Persecuted Christians. Become a member of our Defenders’ Guild with a monthly donation.
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