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Government admit flaws in budgetary allocation for children development
The minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Iyom Josephine Anenih has acknowledged the fact that government had over the years continued to pay less attention to the needs of children in the country in terms of budgetary allocation.
She made this view known last week in Abuja in a grand finale of the activities line up by the ministry in collaboration with United Nation International Children and Education Fund, UNICEF to commemorate the Day of the African Child 2010 with the theme “Planning and Budgeting for the Well Being of the Child a Collective Responsibilities”.
In her welcome address at the occasion, Iyom said that “it is pertinent to emphasized that children issues cut across various sectors of the economy, regrettably however, budgetary allocation to cater for children issues have remained low in comparison to the tasks to be accomplished.
“We need to make conscious effort to address and reverse this trend of inadequate planning and budgetary allocation to child-focused programmes so as to enhance our chances of achieving the sustainable development and indeed the Millennium Development Goals by 2015”.
She acknowledged that the state of health of children is important indicator in ascertaining the level of development of any nation, noting that for Nigeria to achieve its vision of being among the top twenty economies in the world by the year 2020, the issue of child health must be addressed with vigor, increased budgeting and funding no doubt have significant implications for scaling up response that benefit all the categories of children in Nigeria”.
She further stated that “child abuse, violence and exploitation are serious issues that require immediate attention. Poverty along with other cultural traits has also resulted to middle men exploiting the desperation and ignorance of parents particularly in rural areas, to procure children for commercial trafficking.
These trafficking rackets have assumed alarming proportions channeling huge numbers of children into employment markets of major towns and even outside the shores of Nigeria. They are also exploited through their involvement in drug abuse, domestic labour, child prostitution,
child pornography, forced marriage, rape and abduction. These vices jeopardize the rights of the child to survival and good life”.
Also speaking the permanent secretary in the ministry Mr. Idris Kuta, said that “the celebration serve as an opportunity to evaluate the achievements and progress made in implementing the commitments made to children through our accent to the provisions of the various National,
Regional and International Treaties, Conventions, Statutes on children as well as focus attention on emerging and critical issues affecting the wellbeing and proper development of the Nigeria child and by extension the African child’.
A participant who preferred anonymity told The Abuja Inquirer that those who are suppose to protect the rights of children are the one violating them adding that the ministry of women affairs is doing little or nothing to ensure that the right of children are protected in this country.
“If the ministry is committed to protect the children right, why then has the ministry not issued an official statement to condemn or support the action of Senator Ahmed Yerima? Who bluntly violated the child right Act 2003 even when he is a law maker”.
36 years after the massacre of innocent black South African school pupils who trooped out in their thousands in Soweto, to protest the right of African Child to education during the Apartheid reign in South Africa, the Nigerian government sill continue to play down budgetary allocation for the development of children Government resolve to empower women in Export Trade
As part of effort to empower and encourage women folk to play active role in export trade, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC last week in Abuja organized a one day summit on women in export development programme with the theme “empowering women to power trade”.
The NEPC- women in export development programme was designed in tandem with achieving the Millennium Development Goal no. 3 which is to promote gender equality and empower women.
The goal is aimed at mainstreaming gender perspective, using relevant targeted support policies and services to empower Nigerian women’s capacity, competence and competitiveness in non oil export trade.
To this end, the summit desire to achieve among other things, provide assistance to participating Nigerian women in core critical export service area, market intelligence, capacity building, technical assistance, and market linkage, access to finance, export advocacy and trade facilitation.
In his keynote address, the minister of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Jubril Martin Kuye posited that as Nigerian targets to be among the first 20 leading economies by the year 2020, it is clear that this will be attained only if the production activities and potential of both men and women is recognized, harnessed and utilized.
“It is certain that the export sector can play a fundamental role in transforming our country when targeted interventions are made in shaping the minds and action of Nigerian women,” he added.
Also speaking, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mr. David Adulugba stated that the programme illustrate the tremendous opportunity and linkages between women empowerment and trade development.
In realization that women play an important role in business and economic development, the NEPC is poised to promote and unlock the untapped potentials of Nigeria women in non oil export trade through pursuit of gender sensitive export development strategies.
Government to revamp non oil sector of the economy As part of government effort to revamp the non oil sector of the nation’s economy, the National Council for Arts and Culture last week
rounded up the 3rd African Arts and Craft Expo 2010 with the theme “Growing Rural Economy through the Craft Industry”.
In realizing the role the industry play in fast tracking economic development, the National Council for Arts and Culture initiated the African Arts and Crafts Expo to hold annually in Abuja in recognition of the facts that it holds the key to sustainable and technological advancement and also provides a solid plank upon which tourism can thrive.
Declaring the ten days event opened, the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan represented by the minister of Special Duty, Earnest Olubolade stated that “government is conscious of the facts that no nation can attain any measurable and sustainable development while relying heavenly and solely on technological transfer without a conscious effort to transform the realities of her indigenous technology.”
The President therefore expressed satisfaction that the African Arts and Craft Expo serve as one of the pointers to look inward toward proactive resolution of our collective national and continental
problems.
He further stated that by the end of the Expo, a legacy of sustainable Arts and Crafts market and synergy between participants would have been developed to enhance development, refinement and marketing of African Arts and Craft to the rest of the world.
The president of ECOWAS Commission, Ambassador Victor Gbemo in his good will massage lamented the role of Africa in undermining their cultural heritage.
According to him, “we are all aware of the pivotal role that culture plays in the development of modern societies. We were all guilty of the period when culture was relegated to the background in our development endeavours and the resultant negative effect of that action. Thank God the world has woken up to the realization that culture has fundamental dimension that is intrinsic to national and global development”.
He further noted, “We are conscious of the fact that culture must be given its proper place as the centre to which all developmental efforts should hinge. This is because when a man is severed from his cultural roots, that man has lost his identity and will be groping for direction like some in darkness, one without a foundation”.
Also speaking the minister of culture and tourism Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Muhammed assured all participants at the event that his ministry through the support of Mr. President will continue to work with all stakeholders to reposition and develop the sector, such that Nigeria can soon join the league of nations that are tapping the huge and inexhaustible economic resources that abound from culture and tourism industry.
He also stated that “surely the Expo based on the interest it is generating the emerging promising prospects for the economic growth and sustenance of Nigeria and indeed Africa has to be embraced by all and sundry.
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