Governance is the control of power, policy and resources. Thus, good governance in any country is often judged by the degree of equitable access of a… - Adenike Grange

In addition, the institutions that are responsible for bringing about positive transformation of these critical social indices must be well supported by government in order to guarantee equitable access to these institutions with resultant improvement in the living standards of the people.

Poor diet, healthcare and sanitation coupled with overcrowding also meant that disease was rife and mortality high. Large numbers of children were also orphaned and ended up living on the streets. Some were forced into prostitution, while others sought shelter in sewer pipes. This is virtually the situation in developing countries today. Also, at that time, specific legislation did not exist to protect children from cruelty. A change in societal attitudes inspired many philanthropists to take action. In most cases, people were inspired by a sense of religious duty. It was not until the end of the 19th Century that government began to intervene. The lesson to be learnt here is that economic growth alone does not automatically guarantee the development of a comparable level of humaneness in society.

This facilitated the implementation of policies that relate to the rights of the child with respect to access to education, health and social welfare. Therefore, in Nigeria today, in order to conquer the consequences of illiteracy and poverty, we cannot afford to wait until all our children are educated.