Abbas Bamalli
The Katsina Deputy Governor, Alhaji Faruq Lawal-Jobe, has expressed the state government’s willingness to include children in the relevant decision-making process.
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The deputy governor gave the assurance on Friday while receiving members of the state’s Children’s Parliament.
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Lawal-Jobe assured the children’s parliament that the Gov. Dikko Radda administration would do much to prepare them for future leadership of the state and the country.
He said: “I appreciate your appeal for keying into government activities and requesting inclusiveness.
“On this note, I’ll direct the Commissioners for Youths, his counterpart in Women Affairs as well as the Special Adviser on Girl-Child Education to sit down with you.
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“And also, there should be representation from the Ministry of Budget, and then the Coordinator of the state’s Community Development Programme (CDP).
“So that you can tell us more about what you want. This is timely, because we’re doing this at the time when we’re preparing for the 2026 budget.”
According to the deputy governor, they had engagement at all 361 political wards in the state during the process of planning the 2026 citizens’ needs-based budget, “therefore, it will not be out of place for our meeting.”
He also appealed to the children’s parliament to have a programme to sensitise their younger ones on school enrollment in the state.
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Earlier, the Speaker of the Children’s Parliament, Fadila Sani, appreciated the state government’s commitment to the protection and welfare of children in the state.
“We, the parliamentarians and voices of other children, are proud to be part and parcel of your governance. We say thank you in big voices.
“We commend the government for the establishment and inauguration of the child rights implementation committee which shows your passion and dedication to ensuring our rights are upheld and never violated.
“We also recognise the important step taken in the establishment of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC), Gender Based Violence (GBV) centres, providing essential services to child survivors and ensuring justice is served in all reported cases.
“This is beyond just a statement but an action and we appreciate it,” she said.
Sani had earlier appealed to the government to include the children in decision-making processes on issues that affect them.
She assured the state government that their voices would contribute to shaping child-focused policies and programmes.
“We also want the government to prioritise and accelerate the full implementation of the child protection law, the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act and the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools.
Lastly, we are requesting the government to pay more attention and increase budget allocations for children-related programmes and issues to respond well to children’s rights, development and welfare.
“We, the parliamentarians stand ready to work hand-in-hand with governments, NGO, CSOs and other relevant stakeholders to ensure every child in Katsina grows up in a safe, supportive and empowering environment,” she noted.
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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the children’s parliament was supported by Save the Children International, through the Education Cannot Wait (ECW) project.
NAN