How media can commit politicians to tackle children, women issues – UNICEF

From Agaju Madugba, Kano

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has tasked the media and journalists in Nigeria to intensify their commitment towards promoting issues affecting vulnerable children and women.

“Malnutrition, under-age marriage are still rampant and many school-age children especially girls still do not have access to education,” Rahama Mohammed Farah, Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Kano, said on Tuesday in Kano in a message he sent at the opening of a two-day capacity-building workshop for media representatives from Katsina, Kano and Jigawa states.

The programme is being organised by the Abubakar Rimi Television (ARTV), Kano, in collaboration with UNICEF.

A UNICEF Communication Specialist, Samuel Kaanu, represented Farah at the programme.

Read also: Gbajabiamila expresses concern over long term impact of govt borrowing

According to him, “with 2023 around the corner and politicians and candidates campaigning to hold various positions, the media should get these politicians to make commitment on how they intend to tackle some of these issues if they get to office.

“The world should know the situation of children in Nigeria to the extent that if you marry off an under-age girl, she may never get the opportunity to go to school.”

In her welcome message at the programme, the ARTV Director-General, Hajiya Sa’a Ibrahim, noted that her organisation has consistently been in partnership with UNICEF towards journalism development, education, children and women issues.”

UNICEF said the workshop was designed to, among objectives, enhance the capacity of participants on reporting children and women issues.