The Kano State House of Assembly, northwest Nigeria, has passed the State Child Protection Bill.
Development Diaries reports that the bill seeks to protect children against all forms of molestation and ensure that they enjoy free and compulsory basic education.
It is understood that the law sets aside stiffer sanctions for perpetrators of rape and other criminal activities aimed at oppressing underage children.
SDG Four: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Kano is one of the states with a growing number of out-of-school children in Africa’s most populous country.
In its 2018 basic education report, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) noted that Kano had the most out-of-school children in Nigeria, with 989,234 not in school at the time.
‘As representatives of the people, we are responsible for providing laws for good governance in the state’, the Deputy Majority Leader, Dahiru Zarewa, is quoted as saying shortly after passage of the bill.
Zarewa commended the members for engaging relevant stakeholders who contributed to the bill. According to him, the bill, when signed into law, will improve education and look into the activities of orphanage centres and the issue of child abuse.
Nigeria adopted the Child Rights Act (CRA) in 2003 in line with the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
As of November 2022, the Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, announced that over 30 of the 36 States of the federation had fully domesticated the Child Rights Act.
Development Diaries calls on the incoming governor of the state, Abba Yusuf, to fulfil his promise of reviving basic education in the state by immediately signing the State Child Protection Bill into law upon his assumption of office on 29 May.
We also call on the next Kano State House of Assembly to enact and pass a new Universal Basic Education (UBE) bill that defines UBE in the state as compulsory, free, and for 12 years.
Photo source: Radio Nigeria