By Ishaq Dan-Imam, Lokoja
The child rights advocates cluster in Kogi state, north central Nigeria, has paid advocacy visits to management of Radio Nigeria Prime FM Lokoja and the executive committee members of the Jama’atu Nasru Islam, the Umbrella body of Islamic organizations in the state.
The visits were in furtherance of the efforts by the state child rights advocacy cluster to push for establishment of child rights law implementation Committee in Kogi State.
During the visit to radio Nigeria Prime FM Lokoja, the team leader and President of TEDiiN, Elder Titus Alonge, told the management of Prime FM of the on-going efforts to seek media support towards public enlightenment with a view to creating awareness on the child rights law, domesticated in the state since 2009.
Alonge, told the General Manager of the station, Alhaji Adeiza Momoh-Jimoh and management staff that the visit was also aimed at ensuring a sustained media campaign on the CRL legal instrument vis a vis the need for establishment of the state Implementation Committee; significance of CRL law in child rights protection and development; Stakeholders active participation in the project; media support and collaboration with religious bodies, institutions like the Judiciary, House of Assembly, CSOs and policy makers in the state to achieve all the policy Demands of the child rights law.
Responding, the General Manager of radio Nigeria prime FM represented by Head of News and Current affairs, Mr. Alfa Yakub, said radio Nigeria has the mandate to uplift the socio-economic life of the people and unite the nation through conscious radio programming to improve quality of life of Nigerians of all ages and different social strata in line with the moto of Radio Nigeria, which is,’uplifting the people and uniting the Nation’.
He promised to provide air time at reasonably subsidized rate in order to reduce cost of implementing the project and assured the readiness of the broadcast station to highlight the policy Demands, impact and overall objectives of the SCALE project as well as the necessity for child rights protection.
Mr. Momoh-Jimoh said the society stands to gain tremendously from full implementation of the legislation, and expressed the hope that radio Nigeria, in spite of its operational challenges, would be part of the success story of the child rights law in the state.
At the state headquarters of the Jama’atu Nasru Islam (JNI) in Lokoja, the state Secretary of the Body of Islamic organizations in the state, Alhaji Isah Adegboye, who stood in for the state Chairman, Amb. Usman Bello, received the CRL Advocacy Team with a pledge to influence the state government and other stakeholders towards establishment of the CRL implementation Committee being advocated for by the state Advocacy Team of CSOs, media and rights activists.
The JNI Scribe said child protection and well-being is the business of everyone in society as children deserve good parental Care, education, protection and social development by the family, government, social, political and Judicial institutions of the state through instrumentality of appropriate legislative and legal frameworks. He added that the JNI in the state would use its wide network of contacts to reach out to the policy makers and affiliate Islamic organizations in the state to support full implementation of the child rights law, domesticated in the state.
Alhaji Adegboye, promised to deliver the message of ‘Hope’ from the Advocacy Team to the state working committee, for support and collaboration as he thanked the group for the visit.
The Advocacy group had visited the management of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Lokoja, where the General Manager, Alhaji Yahaya Adam, promised support of NTA to provide television coverage for the activities of the state CRL Advocacy Team.
He described the team as a strategic partner working for the common good of the state as the NTA is ever prepared to render necessary support at all times.