Bauchi assembly to accelerate passage of child rights bill

Abubakar Suleiman, speaker of the Bauchi house of assembly, says passage of the child rights bill for the state will be accelerated.

Suleiman said this during an orientation workshop organised by Plan International Nigeria (PIN) for members of the house in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Bauchi is the only state in Nigeria yet to domesticate the Child Rights Act passed by the national assembly and assented to by Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria’s former president, in 2003.

Suleiman promised an end to the long-overdue passage of the bill and said the house will look into the bill in time to make sure it is passed when the house reconvenes.

“We are here today for a special assignment that is aimed at passing a decision to better the lives of our children,” he said.

“I want to tell tell us that we are committed about these issues and the delay in not passing the bill has come to an end.

“I want to assure us that immediately we go back home, we are going to pass the bill. The first reading has been done. We will ensure we go through the second and third reading and thereafter pass the bill into law.”

The speaker assured PIN and other development partners of the house’s readiness to embark on projects that will enhance the quality of people’s lives.

Charles Usie, the country director of PIN, said the orientation was necessary to bring new members up to speed on the child rights act.

He said his organisation, through its Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (ASPIRE) project, was providing advocacy and technical support to the state’s legislators preparatory to the ratification of the child rights law.

“The child rights act is a law that seeks to protect the rights of children in Bauchi state,” Usie said.

“Majority of the members of the house are new. About 90 percent of them are new and it is important that we give them an orientation.

“In the last dispensation, the bill has already gone through the first reading. So, new members have come in and it is right that we give them an orientation to bring them up to speed.”