By Gbolahan Salman Sokoto
As Nigeria marks World Children’s Day, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has highlighted major gains recorded for children in Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara—while warning that insecurity, inadequate resources, and rising out-of-school figures continue to threaten child development in the region.
Speaking in Sokoto, Michael Juma, UNICEF Chief of Field Office for Sokoto, said the day offered an opportunity for deep reflection on how well government and partners have fulfilled their duties to children, especially in states battling with severe security challenges.
Juma disclosed that despite the difficult context, UNICEF has supported 18,000 households with free healthcare services, vaccinated 1.5 million children in the October immunization round, and established a Special Newborn Care Unit at Specialist Hospital Sokoto, which has treated over 1,000 preterm and low-birth-weight babies.
On nutrition, he said 3.1 million children received Vitamin A supplementation, while 285 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition are currently on ready-to-use therapeutic food, recording a 95% recovery rate. He also commended Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s recent ₦100 million contribution to the Child Nutrition Fund, which UNICEF will match.
In education, Juma revealed that 915,000 children are benefitting from foundational literacy and numeracy programmes, while 215,000 out-of-school children have been identified and re-enrolled through community structures and integrated Qur’anic schools. An additional 212,000 learners are using the Nigeria Learning Passport, an online learning platform.
But the UNICEF official warned that serious obstacles persist, including inadequate funding, the difficulty of tracking zero-dose children who migrate across communities, poor dietary diversity among pregnant and lactating women, and the huge number of children still out of school.
On the recent abduction of students at Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, Juma said UNICEF has joined the state government and security agencies in calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the 24 kidnapped schoolgirls, stressing that every child has the right to education, safety, and freedom.
“This incident is a major concern globally and locally. UNICEF came out strongly because no child should be denied the right to learn or live in safety,” he said.
Juma emphasized that while progress has been made, much more remains to be done to protect and fulfil the rights of children across the Northwest.
