By Timothy Ekpo
UYO
The Akwa Ibom government has has debunked allegations of marginalising children in the state of their socio-economic rights.
Governor Umo Eno debunked the allegations when he received the delegation of the African Union Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child at Government House, Uyo.
Eno said previous governments and his administration have made huge and significant investments in the educational, health and enabling law to guarantee the socio-economic rights of children in the State.
Represented by the deputy governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, the governor who was reacting to allegation by the head and country rapporteur, Mr Robert Nanima, of widespread marginalisation and denial of children in State of their basic rights, told the team that his administration has put in place various initiatives to ensure that children and youths were adequately protected and empowered to survive.
He described the allegations as baseless and lacked merit, as government over the years, had embarked on policies and programmes aimed at repositioning the welfare of children, youths, pregnant women and the aged.
“I want to say that the government of Akwa Ibom State, because of the concern to ensure that every child has the right to survive, has the right to attend school, has the right to good medical care, what we did was to pass a law, the Child’s Right Law in 2008”, the governor stated.
Eno explained that Akwa Ibom had been running the free and compulsory and qualitative education since 2000, with successive administrations adding key innovations to boost the scheme to properly groom the children for advanced learning.
He noted that the free education scheme had made it possible for children in the state to access education from pre-primary to Senior Secondary three, while his administration has embarked on the provision of model primary schools in the 31 local government areas.
“Our concern is to ensure that every Akwa Ibom child gets proper education and healthcare. To ensure that the Akwa Ibom youths are not used in the wrong way, we engage them very positively and effectively in training, because they are the future leaders,” he said.
The governor stated that while children in the free education programme, have been provided with free uniforms, sandals and school bags, his ARISE Agenda policy thrust has promoted entrepreneurship to train youths on skills acquisition, after which they were provided with packages to start their businesses.
Eno told the African Union delegation that Akwa Ibom government had long enacted the Child’s Right Law in 2008, to discourage all forms of maltreatment of children by parents and care givers.
The governor pointed out that in the ARISE Agenda policy of government, the entrepreneurial platform had been created to accommodate youths in various skills development and at the end of the programme, incentives are given to allow them start their businesses.
“We have a special skills acquisition centre, where they are trained and at the end of the day, they are empowered with starter kits to enable them start their own livelihood and earn a living, instead of going round to beg or getting involved in vices, and they also become employers of labour,” Eno said.
The state chief executive stated that government has made health services free for pregnant women and children and in the ARISE Agenda, has invested massively in the construction of primary health care centres in the 31 local government areas, adding that the programme was aimed at increasing access, provide quality services and curb infant mortality at the grassroots.
Eno assured that his administration will continue to embark on programmes that would guarantee the socio-economic rights of children and the less privileged in the state and urged the Committee to sustain its relationship as partner of development.
Earlier in his speech, Nanima had said that he was in the state to see things for himself over allegations that children have denied basic rights by the system.
Nanima stated that his Committee had received information on widespread neglect of children in the state and had decided to visit Akwa Ibom to interact with the government to get the actual than rely on allegations, stressing that at the end of the conversation, they would arrive at a certain level of conclusion.
“The crux of the matter is that these are mere allegations and that is why the Committee decided to come to Akwa Ibom to see things for itself. We need to get the actual evidence, than come up with wrong resolutions and proceedings before the clearer picture of what is happening,” he said.
He informed the governor that the Committee was not in the state to find fault, but to see how the Union could partner government to improve the welfare of children.
Nanima noted that it took a community to train the child and since Nigeria and Africa were communities, it was in that regards that they were in Akwa Ibom to protect the rights of the children.
The Country Rapporteur acknowledged the critical role played by Nigeria in the promotion of the welfare of the child and the support previously given to the Union, being the permanent representation of the country at the African Union, support to the African Childrens’ Committee, which was mandated to be provided with the needed resources.
He applauded Akwa Ibom government strides in education, health, youth empowerment and infrastructural development, stressing that the visit had given the Committee the opportunity be acquainted with the programmes and activities of government for the well-being of the child.
Present at the officials from the Federal Government and the Akwa Ibom government were the head of Civil Service, Elder Effiong Essien; Delivery Advisor to the Governor, Mr. Aniefiok Johnson; Commissioner for Education, Professor Ubong Umoh; Information, Mr Aniekan Umanah; Justice, Uko Udom; Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs. Inibeghe Etukudo; Humanitarian Affairs, Princess Emem Ibanga; Health, Dr. Ekem John and permanent secretaries, among others.
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