Rep. Kafilat Ogbara Presents Committee Reports on Landmark Child Protection and Older Persons Rights Bills, Advancing a Safer Future for Children and Dignity for Senior Citizens

Subheading:
Bills sponsored by Rep. Kafilat Ogbara move closer to passage following Second Reading, Public Hearings, and presentation of Committee Reports before the House of Representatives.

Member representing Kosofe Federal Constituency, Lagos State, Rep. Kafilat Ogbara, has recorded another significant legislative milestone with the presentation of Committee Reports on two landmark bills she sponsored, bringing both proposals closer to passage by the House of Representatives.

The reports, presented during plenary after the bills successfully scaled Second Reading and Public Hearings, relate to the National Child Protection and Welfare Commission Bill (HB 2090) and the Older Persons Rights Bill (HB 2098).

The Child Protection Bill seeks to establish the National Child Protection and Welfare Commission to provide a coordinated institutional framework for preventing child abuse, neglect, exploitation, trafficking, harmful traditional practices, and all forms of violence against children, while strengthening the protection and enforcement of children’s rights across Nigeria.

Speaking on the importance of the legislation, Ogbara said protecting children is fundamental to national development.

“When we fail to protect our children, we do not merely fail a generation,we diminish the promise of our nation. Every child denied safety, love, education, or opportunity represents a future leader, innovator, teacher, doctor, entrepreneur, or nation-builder whose potential may never be fully realised. The cost of neglecting our children is measured not only in broken lives, but in lost possibilities for our country.”
She added that investing in children is an investment in Nigeria’s future.
“Every investment we make in the safety, education, well-being, and holistic development of our children is an investment in stronger institutions, safer communities, sustainable economic growth, and a more peaceful and just society. This bill is more than legislation; it is our commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian child is given not just a voice, but a future.”
The second bill, the Older Persons Rights Bill, seeks to guarantee the rights, dignity, health, and social and economic well-being of older persons through improved access to healthcare, social protection, economic support, and safeguards against abuse, neglect, discrimination, and abandonment.
According to Ogbara, the legislation reflects society’s obligation to honour those who have devoted their lives to nation-building.

“Our senior citizens have spent the best years of their lives building our families, nurturing communities, strengthening institutions, and contributing to the growth of our nation. As age advances, society has a moral duty to repay that lifelong service—not with charity, but with justice. They deserve quality healthcare, financial security, protection from abuse and neglect, and the assurance that they will age with dignity and respect.”
She stressed that a nation’s progress should be measured by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens.
“A society that honours its elderly affirms its own humanity, just as a nation that protects its children safeguards its future.”
Ogbara expressed appreciation to the House Committee on Women Affairs, fellow lawmakers, government agencies, civil society organisations, development partners, and members of the public who participated in the Public Hearings, noting that their contributions strengthened both legislative proposals.
She described the presentation of the Committee Reports as a crucial step towards the eventual passage of the bills into law.

“As legislators, our duty extends beyond making laws; it is about shaping the kind of society we aspire to become,” she said. “Through these bills, we reaffirm our collective responsibility to protect the innocence of childhood, honour the dignity of old age, and ensure that no Nigerian is left behind because of age or vulnerability.”

The two bills are expected to proceed to the next stage of legislative consideration in the House of Representatives before final passage.