The state child rights bill, which was approved by the state House of Assembly, has been signed into law by the Kebbi State government, which has received praise from UNICEF Nigeria.
The children's fund urged the state government to set aside and distribute sufficient funds, as well as put in place mechanisms for the full implementation of the law to give children the rights guaranteed by it, in a statement released by the organisation.
Abubakar Bagudu, the state governor, recently signed the Kebbi State Child Protection Bill into law at the weekly Executive Council Meeting held at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi.
During the weekly Executive Council Meeting, the governor also formally signed the Prohibition of Violence Against Individuals Bill into law.
According to the statement, the UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, “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 called that the law be gazetted without delay, Hawkins added.
The statement further called on the state governments that are yet to domesticate the Nigeria Child Rights Act to do so without any further delay.
In 2003, the National Assembly enacted the Child Rights Act (CRA), which is derived from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to which Nigeria is a signatory. All the 36 states are expected to domesticate the law. Thirty-one states have so far enacted the state equivalents of the Child Rights Act. Five states are yet to domesticate the law, which are Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano and Zamfara States.