Nation
UNICEF Lauds Kebbi Over Child Rights Act
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has commended Kebbi State Government for enacting the Child Protection Law and urged its full implementation.
UNICEF Country Representative Peter Hawkins, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen in Birnin Kebbi, the State capital.
It would be noted that the Kebbi State Child Protection Bill was signed into law by Gov. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State at a weekly Executive Council meeting held at the Council Chambers of Government House, Birnin Kebbi recently.
Similarly, the Governor signed into law, the Prohibition of Violence Against Individuals Bill during the weekly Executive Council meeting.
Hawkins said by signing the law, the Kebbi State Government, became the 31st state to domesticate the Nigeria Child Rights Act (CRA) passed by Nigeria’s National Assembly in 2003.
The UNICEF Country Representative congratulated the state government on signing into law, the state’s Child Rights Bill passed by the State House of Assembly.
He called on the State Government to allocate and release adequate resources and put in place mechanisms for full implementation of the law to grant children the rights enshrined in it.
“We congratulate the government and people of Kebbi state on this momentous achievement. By providing legislation that protects the rights of its children, Kebbi State has taken the right decision to provide its children the enabling environment to thrive and reach their full potential.
“Putting in place this law is good but just the first step. The Kebbi state government must take the next important step by putting in place structures and allocating resources for its full implementation.
“UNICEF urges that the law be gazetted without delay,” Hawkins noted.
He said UNICEF would continue to collaborate with Kebbi state government on interventions that contribute to the fulfillment of the rights of children, including the implementation of the Kebbi State Child Rights Law.
Hawkins admonished other states that were yet to domesticate the Nigeria Child Rights Act to do so without any further delay.
He recalled that in 2003, Nigeria’s National Assembly enacted the Child Rights Act (CRA), which derives from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to which Nigeria is a signatory; and all of Nigeria’s 36 States are expected to domesticate the law.
Hawkins, however, said that not all states of the federation domesticated the law.
The country rep. added that “by signing the Child Rights Bill into law, Kebbi state has joined the group of states which have a legislative framework through the domestication of the Nigeria Child Rights Act.
“Thirty-one states have so far enacted the state equivalents of the Child Rights Act. Five (5) states are yet to domesticate the law: Adamwa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano and Zamfara.
“To contribute to the fulfilment of children’s rights in Nigeria, UNICEF, in collaboration with partners, has been supporting government at the state and federal levels to put in place laws and policies which address child rights issues, and the Kebbi State Child Protection Law is one of the results of such efforts.”
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Rivers state Deputy Governor Professor Ngozi Nma Odu has commended “The Port Harcourt City One Love,”a Port Harcourt based humanitarian orgnisation For it’s commitment towards alleviating the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.
Professor Ngozi Nma Odu said this while speaking at this year’s edition of “operation feed the needy” a yearly outreach program of “The Port Harcourt City One Love ” in Port Harcourt.
The Deputy Governor said by feeding more than sixty thousands hungry people within the past six years, the Port Harcourt City One Love Movement has distinguished itself as a club that cares for the less privilege in the society.
She commended the , organization for listing eleven thousand persons to be fed in the current exercise.
Meanwhile The Port Harcourt City One Love has planned a permanent solution to the problem of feeding the poor in the state.
The leader of the group Mr Idaere Gogo Ogan who said this in an interview with newsmen during the distribution of food items to the poor and vulnerables in Port Harcourt said the organization is planning a permanent food kitchen where poor and vulnerable persons can work in anytime and get fed.
Idaere Gogo Ogan said more than sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons across Port Harcourt City and environs have been fed since the inception of “The operation feed the needy” program six years ago,adding that so far sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons have beneffited.
He described the group as a platform to promote friendship, brotherhood, community development empathy and feeding the less privilege and hungry people
“That’s what we are doing today here,so we started the exercise six years ago”.he said.
Ogan said the effort was a private sector driven initiative but added “it also involves people in Government because the platform does not recognize any division,we bring everybody together in unity , friendship and brotherhood”he said.
He said the effort will go along way in alleviating hunger especially following the prevailing hunger in the country.
According to him “you know the country is very tough, people are hungry people are starving, there is a whole lot of economic hardship,so for us, this is just our own way of reaching out, our own social contribution to what is very difficult”he said.
Over eleven thousand persons were fed in the just concluded exercise.
Areas of coverage include, Isaac Boro park, Port Harcourt prison/Macoba, Borokiri/Enugu waterside Bundu areas Waterlines and others.
Some of the beneficiaries including an 80 years old widow commended the movement for the annual programm and urged other organizations to emulate them
John Bibor,/Esuuk Oyet/Suotor Memoye /Jeremiah Hannah
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