Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
The Gombe State Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Naomi Awak, has assured the state government is working and collaborating with all tiers of government to fast-track the domestication of the Child’s Rights Act (CRA) in the state.
According to her, that was in efforts to protect the rights of children, the state government and plans on the domestication process have reached advance stage. She explained that the act is currently with the State House of Assembly.
Awak disclosed this while addressing a team from Save the Children’s (SCI) Reaching and Empowering Adolescents to make informed Choices for their Health in Nigeria (REACH) Project on Thursday in Gombe.
She assured of the state government’s commitment to strengthen all partnerships with relevant stakeholders to guarantee the safety and protection of children in the state.
“This is why we have always opened our hands to any partnership in that regarding welfare and wellbeing of children in the state,” Mrs Awak told the REACH team from Zamfara, Katsina and Gombe States who were in her to solicit state government’s support in sustaining the REACH project beyond 2021 when the project is expected to end.
On his part, Mr Akpan Effiong, Coordinator, Community Engagement and Advocacy, SCI explained that the REACH project which is being implemented in Dukku and Balanga Local Government Areas (LGA) of the state had impacted positively on adolescents.
He said that the impact of the project through the various success stories being recorded should be sustained for other adolescents across the state to benefit from.
He commended the state government for creating an environment conducive for the implementation of the project in Dukku and Balanga and also for efforts made so far towards the domestication of CRA in Gombe.
He added that the visit of the REACH teams from Katsina and Zamfara states would be leveraged to share ideas on how well to further improve the quality of the project while strengthening calls for sustainability.
Mr Murtala Bello, REACH Project Manager for Zamfara State said his team was on a learning visit to Gombe state to acquire more knowledge, adding that the project is being implemented in Zamfara, Katsina and Gombe states.