‘Allocate resources for effective implementation’ — UNICEF hails Kano for signing child protection law

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has commended the Kano state government for signing the child rights bill into law.

The child rights act protects the fundamental rights of Nigerian children. It was officially passed into law by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003.

In a statement on Tuesday, Rahama Farah, UNICEF chief of field office in Kano, said signing the bill is a great advantage to the children in the state.

Farah urged Abba Yusuf, the state governor, to allocate adequate resources for effective implementation of the law.

“The Kano state child protection law is a remarkable achievement that benefits the children and people of Kano. It establishes a legal framework to ensure the protection of children’s rights within the state,” she said.

“Now that the law has been established, it is crucial to allocate the necessary resources and establish mechanisms for its effective implementation.

“The implementation of the law has become in the interest of the children.”

With the development, Kano joins other states that have successfully incorporated the Nigeria child rights act into their legal frameworks.

The act is derived from the UN convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) of which Nigeria is a signatory.

In November 2022, Pauline Tallen, former minister of women affairs, said the child rights act had been passed into law in 34 out of the 36 states in the country.