Children preside over Jigawa assembly, laud governor, speaker on sch enrollment

The Speaker of the Jigawa State House of Assembly, Haruna Aliyu, on Monday, honoured the girl-child in plenary by vacating his seat for a female child. The Speaker’s seat was occupied by a 14-year-old school girl, Jamila Aliyu Abdulkadir, who conducted a special session commemorating the International Day of the Girl-Child.

Ms Abdulkadir presided over the plenary with several school girls drawn from various schools in the state capital. The children commended Governor Umar Namadi and the Speaker of the House for facilitating policies and programmes that led to the increased enrollment of the girl child in schools.

Ms Abdulkadir said it’s the dream of every girl-child to have quality education and economic independence, access to good health, well-being, leadership skills and digital literacy.

The session commended both the executive and the legislative arms for their commitment to promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their rights.

She reminded the plenary that all girls have the right to a safe life, quality education and healthy lifestyle as they mature.

She called on the speaker and his colleagues in the legislature to take meaningful action to ensure that girls are given equal opportunities and protection they deserve by enacting laws that specifically empower them. She further enjoined them to make laws that promote equal gender, access to education, protection against gender violence and health care access.

Another girl who represented the Dutse local government area at the special plenary, Hassanah Aboyeji appreciated the governor for prioritising girl child education and making efforts to ensure that girls get free education at all levels.

She commended the state government for removing all fees and providing essential learning materials to girls in the state, which led to a 43 per cent increase in enrollment and retention rate.

Esther Maiyaki, who represented the Buji state constituency at the special plenary, said girls, if properly given the opportunity, can play a key role in the healthcare system in the state, as 44 per cent of the state population are females.

She said one of the biggest challenges in the country is the issue of maternal mortality, saying that too many women and girls are dying of preventable causes during childbirth.

“As girls, we can become better advocates for a better healthcare system. On a day like this, it’s good to say thank you to the State Government for reducing the maternal mortality rate by providing free healthcare services for women and children as well as facilitating massive training for nurses, midwives, and doctors in the state, she stated.

The students honored the speaker with an award of excellence for promoting girl child education and children enrollment in schools.

Earlier, the speaker, Mr Aliyu, said the assembly has done a lot in empowering women and inspirinyhope in the girl child. He said the state was poised to address the spate of out-of-school children which is a challenge nationwide.

“State legislators have initiated viable interventions to address the problem in their constituencies. A few months ago I ordered honourable members to move to their various constituencies to investigate the figures of the out-of-school children so that we can synergize and devise a lasting solution.

“Also, the 7th Assembly passed into law in 2021 the Jigawa State Child Protection Act, another achievement for children’s rights in Nigeria. The domestication of the child protection law in the state will help safeguard children’s rights, including ensuring that parents, guardians, and constituted authorities fulfill their obligations to protect children and prioritise access to health and education, especially the girl-child.

“The importance of educating the girl-child was captured in the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) where Anas Ibn Malik reported; “Seeking knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim (men or women)”. In fulfillment of the tradition of the Prophet (SAW), the Jigawa State Executive Council is implementing a policy where the Girl-Child receives free education at all levels from primary to tertiary level. The goal is to enable the girl-child to reach her full potential in life”, the speaker stated.