The Children’s parliament in Zamfara has appealed to the new administration in the state to give priority to child protection and development.
The Deputy Speaker of the parliament, Auwal Muhammad, made the appeal on Friday in Gusau at the event to Commemorate the 2023 Day for African Child.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was organised by the State Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, in collaboration with Pro-Health International Africa, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO).
The theme of the event was “The Right of the Child in the Digital Environment”.
The occasion was attended by representatives of Donor organisations, Governments Officials, Lawmakers, Religious and Community Based Organisations, Media and Women groups.
In their separate presentations, members of the parliament appealed for more attention from government to child development.
Muhammad noted that the right and protection of children should be given priority by any government.
“Children should be given their right to survive and contribute to the development of the society,” he noted.
Another member of the parliament, representing Kaura-Namoda Local Government Area, Rumasa’u Bashir, lamented the increasing rate of child abuse and violence among Nigerian children.
She said it was the duty of the government to discourage child abuse, adding that innocent children are becoming victims of various forms of violence.
Zainab Muhammad, representing Bakura constituency, urged government to give priority to the girl child education in order to guarantee the future of women development in the society.
“Because education is the bed rock of the society, children shouldn’t be left behind. We should be allowed and encouraged to seek for both Islamic and Western education,” she said.
Abubakar Auwal from Bungudu, urged government to address the problem of out-of-school children in the state.
According to him, the security challenges facing the state are denying children their rights to be enrolled into schools, especially in rural communities.
In his presentation, Abubakar Rabi’u from Maradun Constituency, urged government to lay emphasis on child health care.
Sa’adatu Gazali from Talata-Mafara, called for effective implementation of Child Protection Law in the state while Khadija Muhammad of Gusau constituency appealed for serious attention to Physically-Challenged Children.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Women and Children Affairs, Dr Barira Bagobiri, described the occasion as a pride to women and future development of the world in general.
“As we all know, women are mothers of the society, we shouldn’t be left behind in organising activities and programmes to commemorate this important day to us.
“As a ministry, we will continue to give priority to programmes for child development and survival,” Bagobiri added.
Also speaking, the Chief of Staff to Gov. Dauda Lawal, Alhaji Mukhtar Lugga, reiterated the state government’s commitment to promoting child protection in the state.
Lugga, represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Broadcast Media and Public Affairs, Mustafa Jafaru-Kaura, assured that the state government would continue to partner with stakeholders at all levels to promote child development in the state.
In her remarks, the Wife of the Deputy Governor, Hajiya Rukayya Malam-Mani, pledged to give priority to the girl child education.
She commended members of the parliament for their various presentations which she described as wonderful and a welcome development.
Hajiya Rukayya appreciated the contributions of the donor organisations towards promoting child development and survival in the state. (NAN)