Domesticate Child Right Act Now, UNICEF Tells Northern Nigerian States

Over 200 young Nigerians converged in Bauchi to discuss issues hindering them to attain their potentials. 

This year’s theme is tagged: “The Nigeria We Want: Voices from Bauchi”.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said that 11 of 36 Nigerian States are yet to domesticate the Child Right Act.

UNICEF stated this on Saturday at a joint programme put together with the Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board to mark the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Right of the Child (CRC) in Bauchi.

UNICEF boss, Bauchi Field Office, Mr. Bhanu Pathak, said that the increasing number of child brides is another major factor contributing to the menace of out-of-school children which Bauchi accounts for over 1 million.

While addressing youth from six northern States: Bauchi, Taraba, Adamawa, Jigawa, Plateau and Gombe, Pathak said that an estimated 3 in 5 children have suffered one or more forms of violence before reaching 18, with over 70 per cent experiencing multiple incidents of violence.

Pathak said: “Only 25 States in Nigeria have the Child Right Law in place. Eleven States are yet to enact this law, these States are from the Northern part of Nigeria”.

He said that for Nigeria to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, things must clearly change.

Pathak maintained that Nigerian children and young people need to be able to access the opportunities they need to develop in a safe environment.

However, Wife of Bauchi State Governor, Hajiya Aisha Bala Mohammed, challenged youths in the country to take up the task of rebuilding the nation, while noting that multinational corporations and agencies should not be left alone in fixing Nigeria’s problems.

She said: “We know our problems and we must fix them ourselves, some parents still take education for granted in this part of the country. This, we can say is contributing to the nation’s insecurity”.

She further enjoined parents to ensure that their children enrol and attend school regularly.

Also, Bauchi State Commissioner of Education, Dr. Aliyu Usman Tilde, assured the State’s youth of accessible and quality education.