Writing By Khadijah Aliyu Editing By Godwin Duru
In a renewed effort to promote children’s rights and well-being, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), the National Population Commission (NPC), and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), has launched a one-day intensive awareness campaign on the importance of birth registration for newborns across the Gwarzo Zone of Kano State.
The campaign forms part of ongoing UNICEF-supported government initiatives aimed at strengthening child protection systems and ensuring access to essential social services, particularly within rural communities in Kano State.
Representative of the NPC, Malam Abubakar Lawal emphasized the critical role of community involvement in achieving effective birth registration.
He called on traditional rulers, religious clerics, and community leaders to take the lead in sensitizing their communities to ensure that no child is left unregistered.
SBC Health Consultant , Alhaji Usman Yahaya described birth registration as the first legal acknowledgment of a child’s existence, noting that it serves as the gateway to every fundamental right including health, education, and protection.
He lamented that many rural children still lack official birth certificates, putting them at risk of exclusion from vital government programs and development plans.
Participants engaged in an interactive session featuring questions, discussions, and group assignments designed to develop practical grassroots strategies for improving birth registration coverage across the Gwarzo Zone.
Khadijah Aliyu
