By Peter Duru

The traditional ruler and District Head of Ankpa/Wadata in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State, Chief Samuel Iortim Asema has lauded the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF for supporting the advocacy exposing his subjects to the dangers of gender based violence, the COVID-19 pandemic and also encouraging birth registration among his people.

He said the advocacy was long overdue and assured that the traditional institution would throw its weight behind the advocacy and ensure that the message got to all nooks and crannies of his domain.

Chief Asema who spoke Wednesday during the advocacy tour of his domain organized by National Population Commission, NPC, in collaboration with the Benue state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and the National Orientation Agency, NOA, with support from UNICEF.

The campaign is taking Child Protection Advocacy and Sensitization Campaign to the Communities, Traditional and Religious Leaders and other Stakeholders on importance of birth registration, ending violence against children and women and COVID-19 prevention, and risk mitigation.

According to the traditional ruler “this meeting has given us the opportunity to learn much about COVID-19, registration of birth and the violence against women. It has exposed us to a lot of things and we are now well informed about these issues.

“We also thank the government of Benue state for encouraging the advocacy that will help us live a better life, ensure the safety of our women and also enlightened our people on the importance of registering the birth of our children.

“Above all we thank UNICEF for their support and encouragement that has made us a better informed people,” the traditional ruler said.

On her part, the Federal Commissioner representing Benue state at the National Population Commission, NPC, Mrs. Patricia Kuchi urged the people to prioritize birth registration “because apart from ensuring that your children have their birth registered it will also help the state and federal governments plan well for the country and its populace.”

Continuing, she said, “we are interest in this programme because before now we have had several advocacy visits. UNICEF has always intervened in our advocacy efforts in the state and within this period that we had this pandemic a lot of activities came to a grinding halt. Offices were shutdown and live was not normal.

“So we know and we admit that there is a short fall in the recordings of births. We hitherto had had shortfall but you can be sure that in the last 90 days no births have been registered with the commission and the law says every birth should be registered with the commission within 60 days.

“But we can see that because of the pandemic we also have not been available. Even when we have been available and there was no challenge we had a shortfall because people were not going out.

“So it is a collaboration to kick start birth registration exercise all over again. Perhaps some of you went to the offices and they were shutdown. Now we are available and we are carrying the message particularly to the councils to step up advocacy and registration of birth.

“We are asking everyone who has a child that is still under 17 in age to ensure that the child comes out to register if it has not been done.

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“We are going round all the 23 Local Government Areas of the state and where it permits we are going to have this kind of meetings in LGAs and in some, in two different centres. So that is quite intensive and demanding but we will achieve our purpose because the registration with the NPC is a requirement of the law and that is what confers on your child his or her legal identity.”

Also speaking the State Director of National Orientation Agency, Mr. Richard Audu who led the advocacy on the COVID-19 pandemic sensitizing the people on the dangers of the pandemic and how to take responsibility.

“We are in this to ensure that people respect the protocol and take precautionary measures to avoid contacting the virus and check its spread in our state.

“We advise you to avoid contacts with people as much as possible because it is one issue we are still battling with both in churches and mosques in the state.

“We know that in Benue state the infection rate is increasing and the issue is that Nigerians want to see you bring some handouts for them before they gather to listen to you. They expect at least free face masks. This we have reported to the state government and we expect that something will be done in that regard. We commend the level of attendance and interaction we’ve had so far,” he added.

On her part, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Nyiezungwe Igirgi who commended UNICEF for collaborating with the state government to advocate on issues of birth registration, gender based violence and the COVID-19 pandemic said the meeting was timely.

She said “I was happy because the advocacy is going well and the people are happy because they are being intimated and sensitized about the registration of birth because most times people are not ready to do that.

“Mothers are not ready to go out and register their children and it becomes a problem when they grow up. They begin to look for declaration of age here and there. Most times they do not register children because mothers erroneously believe that it is for tax collection.

“But this meeting has dispelled that impression. Our people are better informed now and they will take the message to the communities informing the people that birth registration is for planning at the state and federal levels and nothing more.

“We also urge you to be sensitive about gender based violence against children and women. You will discover that rape cases are on the increase in the country. We have cases of fathers raping their children and much more. So parents must check such by properly educating their female children to be sensitive and alert at all times. If anyone touches them they should cry out.

“Apart from rape, we have issue of women being beaten up and violated by their husbands. Children are being molested by those who nanny them. Also we have issues of people who bring other people’s children to their homes in the guise that they want to give them education only to turn them into slaves. This is one issue that we must all campaign against.

“This gender issue is not only focusing on women, we have cases of women beating up their husbands too and we are also taking care of such. Though most times the men will not report but we have made it clear that when you are attacked feel free to come to our centre to report such cases.

“Finally, we appreciate UNICEF for bring the programme to us and supporting us to go out and sensitive the people on the issues of birth registration, gender based violence and the COVID 19 pandemic which will go a long way to help us lead a better life and stay safe. We are with them and will go to every community they take the advocacy to.

I must tell you that this advocacy is timely and will do us a lot of good,” she added.

Vanguard