The Kano State Government and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Monday unveiled a report on children’s rights and wellbeing.

Unveiling the report, tagged: ”Situation Analysis of Children Report’ (SitAn)”, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Planning and Budget, Alhaji Auwal Sanda, said the report is designed to
inform policy dialogue, partnerships and interventions to improve the lives of children and their families.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the report is an analysis of the country’s situation, with respect to children’s rights and critical issues affecting their
realization.

”Children, as leaders of tomorrow must be given enabling environment to survive, develop and reach their full potentials.

“The SitAn will provide the baseline for government and partners to improve existing policies, and programmes and aimed at ensuring adequate protection and improved wellbeing of the children,” he said.

Sanda thanked UNICEF for supporting the state in conducting the analysis to guide the government and partners in protecting the rights of children.

“The relationship between UNICEF and the Kano State Government has been very cordial and strong because UNICEF has supported us for a long.

“We are going to give you all the necessary support to succeed,” he said

Sanda said the inauguration of SitAn was timely because to achieve anything one had to carry out situation analysis.

He thanked UNICEF for the support and promised to implement recommendations made in the document and to address issues affecting the growth and development of children in the state.

Earlier, Mr Rahama Farah, Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Kano, said the study found out that issues affecting children in the state included a high level of child poverty.

Others were the inadequate provision of public budget and delay in cash backing in the provision of key social services to children.

“Across all four thematic areas, key structural causes of child deprivation include weak execution of policies and plans; inadequate access to essential services and commodities, insufficient teachers and health workers in rural areas,” he said.

Farah called on Kano State Government to pass the Child Protection Bill into Law.

He said UNICEF would like Kano Government to improve and sustain the government’s fiscal and monetary policies geared toward wealth creation, human development and reducing inequality.

Farah said UNICEF also wanted the government to progressively scale up social protection programmes in the state, such as cash transfer programmes.

He restated the commitment of UNICEF to continue to work with and support Kano State Government on all the development interventions and other priorities.

Also speaking, Alhaji Mukhtar Yakasai, Director, Planning, Ministry of Planning and Budget, while reading the report, said the idea behind SitAn was for the State and other states in the country to have a comprehensive document on issues affecting children.

He said the government should put in place plans and activities to enable the state to mobilise people capable of working hard to achieve the SitAn vision

Kano State Government should start by addressing the gaps identified in this report that obstruct the provision of basic services to children.

“The Child Protection Bill should be enacted immediately in Kano while Child Labour Prohibition Law 2014 should be fully enforced.

“Law enforcement agencies should receive full government support, including funding, to enable them to discharge their duties effectively,” he said.

The director thanked all the stakeholders for working with the state to improve the well-being of children.