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From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has declared its readiness to support the establishment of a Family Court to hasten justice in the rural areas and adequate children’s data to ensure proper planning for children in Kebbi State.
Chief field officer of the Sokoto office of UNICEF, Michael Juma, stated this during the 2025 end-of-year review meeting, in collaboration with the Ministry of Budget and Economy Planning, in Birnin Kebbi.
Juma explained that he had discussed the creation of Family Court with the Kebbi Commissioner of Justice to take necessary steps in the establishment of the court that would be saddled with issues relating to the children.
According to him, “On the establishment of Family Court, of course, I have talked to the Commissioner of Justice on this and I have said that it is something the UNICEF will support. Because it is what the UNICEF is supporting globally, it is a way to ensure quick justice at the rural levels”.
While speaking on adequate data on children, Juma noted that correct information on children’s population would enable the government, teachers and other stakeholders to have correct figures for planning, especially on adequate budgeting for their needs.
He commended the state government for passing the Child Protection Bill at the Kebbi State House of Assembly, stressing that it would help a lot to free some children in detention, lessen the rigorous trials being face by the children and assist them to be re-integrated into the larger society.
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Juma, who declared the readiness of UNICEF to continue to collaborate Kebbi State on poverty survey, social protection and nutrition intervention, lauded the state government for the released of N500 million counterpart funding on the nutrition.
He, however, suggested that there was need to address the issue of our of school children, cholera outbreak as well coming out with road map on WASH programme to ensure other LGs join Arewa and Mayama Councils on the fighting against open defecations.
In his remark at the event, Executive Chairman of SUBEB, Kebbi State, Professor Suleiman Khalid cautioned various organisations at the meeting to be careful of how to implanting some policies that would in conflicts with the cultures, religious and tradition of the people.
He noted that the out of school children and Almajiris were caused by social and ecological factors.
According to him:“During the dry season, that is the period you will see most of these children on the street and the adults would be migrating to the South. The questions we should ask ourselves are :that, are they not having schools in their communities? Is there no traditional or religious leaders in their houses? I think,we need to use these leaders to enforce the parents to enroll their wards in schools.
“We have to be very careful on the enforcement of law on the citizens. We need to adopt dialogues on how to implement these enforcement”, he advised.
Different departments presented their 2025, reviews on nutrition, social policy, social and behavioral change, education and WASH among others.
