Headlines
UNICEF says 69.2% of children in Kano are multi-dimensionally poor
The United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF), says 69.2% of children in Kano State are multi-dimensionally poor.
Fatima Musa, a Social Policy Specialist with the UNICEF, Kano Field Office, disclosed this in her presentation during a media dialogue on Friday in Zaria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the media dialogue is on Children’s Advocacy Priorities for News and Programme Managers from Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states.
Musa explained that 69.2 per cent of children of 0-17 years old were defined as multi-dimensionally poor, while 59.5 per cent of children of 0-17 years were monetarily poor in Kano.
“Across the geo-political zones, the child MPI shows higher poverty in the North-East and North-West (where 90% of children are poor) and lower poverty in the South-East and South-West (74% and 65.1% respectively).
“The incidence of child MPI is above 50% in all states and greater than 95% in Bayelsa, Gombe, Sokoto and Kebbi states.
“UN Convention on the Rights of Children (UNCRC) provides for a child: person under the age of 18; the primary role of parents and family in the care and protection with state’s obligation to help them to carry out their duties,” she said.
The social policy specialist, who raised an alarm over the increased child poverty in Nigeria, called on governments at all levels to increase budgetary allocation for children-focused interventions.
According to her, the menace can be reduced by providing quality education, water, good healthcare services, access to good shelter, child protection and social safety nets.
She also lauded Katsina and Kano states for accepting Universal Child Benefits and for expressing interest in piloting it.
According to the specialist, the development came at the right time, as it’s aimed at addressing child poverty.
Earlier, Samuel Kaalu, UNICEF Communication Specialist, Kano Field Office, called on media practitioners in the country to focus more attention on issues affecting the well-being of women and children in their reportage.
Kaalu also urged them to give adequate attention to the issue of violence against children in order to ensure proper enlightenment of the public against the phenomenon.
The communication specialist said violence against children occurring in homes and communities usually go on unnoticed or denied.
He further called for more support from the media in sensitising the public to the importance of enrolling children in school.
Headlines
Kano inaugurates 14-member committee to review education policies
The Kano State Government has inaugurated a 14-member committee tasked with reviewing existing education policies in the state.
Inaugurating the committee on Thursday in Kano, the Commissioner for Education, Dr Ali Makoda, said that the committee was constituted by the Kano State Executive Council to assess the state’s education policies.
“This committee was originally scheduled to be inaugurated by the governor, but due to prior engagements, he has delegated the responsibility to me so that we can begin our work immediately,” Makoda stated.
The Commissioner outlined the committee’s terms of reference, which include reviewing the four existing education policies in the state to assess whether they align with the cultural and religious beliefs of the people.
“Evaluating the feasibility of implementing the policies, and making recommendations to strengthen the state’s education system.”
He noted that the four policies to be reviewed include the Kano State Girls’ Education Policy, Kano State Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Policy, Kano State Non-State School Policy, and Kano State Teacher Development Policy.
Makoda announced that the committee has been given three weeks to submit its report, and urged the members to leverage their expertise to produce recommendations that would enhance the state’s education sector.
In his response, the committee chairman, Malam Abdullahi Dutse, assured the commissioner of the committee’s commitment to work collaboratively to meet the expectations placed on them.
“Considering the diverse expertise of the committee members, I believe the government has selected individuals with the right skills to address the challenges facing education in the state. We will work diligently to provide the necessary report,” he said.
The committee’s members include Malam Abdullahi Dutse (Chairman), Prof Abdallah Uba -Adamu, Habibu Dan Almajiri, Alhaji Danlami Garba, Kano State Commissioner for Women, Children, and Disabled Affairs Hajiya Amina Abdullahi, and Isa Ahmad.
Other members are Prof Tijjani Naniya, Malam Kabiru Hanga, Munzali Mustapha, Prof Auwal Halliru Arzai, and Dr Bashir Aliyu -Umar.
The remaining include the representatives of the Emirate Council and Civil Society Organizations, and Ibrahim Bawa, Director of Archives and Publications, who will serve as Secretary of the committee.
Headlines
U.S commends Nigeria over Galactica funds repatriation efforts
The U.S. Deputy-Secretary of State, Kurt Campbell, has extolled Nigeria’s partnership in the successful repatriation of funds linked to forfeited luxury real estate and Galactica Star Superyacht. (more…)
Headlines
Tinubu congratulates Nigerian scientists, engineers on making Biden’s honour list
President Bola Tinubu has congratulated six Nigerians named by President Joe Biden among the 400 recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in the United States.
This recognition, established by former President Bill Clinton in 1996, is the highest honour bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers.
This year’s awardees, announced by Biden on Jan. 14, are employed or funded by 14 participating United States government agencies, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Spokesman, said in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.
The Nigerian honourees include Azeez Butali, Gilbert Lilly Endowed Professor of Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Iowa; and Ijeoma Opara, Associate Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences), Yale School of Public Health, Yale University.
Others are: Oluwatomi Akindele, Postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; and Eno Ebong, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biology at Northeastern University;
The rest are: Oluwasanmi Koyejo, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University; and Abidemi Ajiboye, Executive vice Chair of the Case School of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Case Western Reserve University.
Tinubu commended the awardees for their achievements in science, technology and engineering.
He noted that recognising the talents of the awardees underscored Nigerians’ vast potential to excel both at home and on the global stage.
Tinubu looked forward to the honourees sharing their multidisciplinary expertise to benefit Nigeria’s development efforts under the Renewed Hope Agenda. (more…)
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