By Rauf Oyewole
The Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Hon. Abubakar Suleiman has expressed the commitment of the 10th Assembly to address the obstacles facing children in the state, by formulating child friendly laws, child representation and legislative oversight to ensure child rights.
Abubakar said this on Wednesday when the representatives of the Bauchi State Children Parliament visited the Assembly to mark the 2024 World Children’s Day and carry out legislative proceedings on child welfare. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Bauchi Field Office has organised advocacy visits to the lawmakers and the Wife of Governor Bala Mohammed to mark this year's World Children's Day.
The Speaker who vacated his seat for the child speaker to present their demands, said that the House had last year domesticated the Child Rights Act and the Violence Against Person Prohibition (VAPP) law in Bauchi.
Earlier speaking, the children have asked the government to increase education funding. “Beyond funding, we request that you keep monitoring for timely release of the allocation and judicious utilization.”
“Due to poverty, many children do not have the opportunity to go to school, we count on your leadership to see how to abolish any kind of school charges at primary and secondary levels, while those in the senior secondary and tertiary level should be reduced minimally to enable children of the poor have opportunity to be in school.”
The kids who were selected from different government schools across the state, also demanded for free medical services at government hospitals for children under 15 years.
Responding, Abubakar said that the children’s demands were submitted to the appropriate place, pledging that the House will play its constitutional roles. “On your demands, where it is necessary for us to make laws, we will do it, where it requires oversight and representation, we assure you that we will do that.
“We will ensure proper funding and most importantly, timely release of the funds. On the abolition of school charges in primary and secondary and downward review of the same in higher institutions; we will look into that also.
“On the need to provide free medical services to under 15 children, we will look into it, even if it requires us to back it with law, we will do that,” Abubakar said.
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