By Sola Ogundipe
NIGERIA is not providing an environment that guarantees survival of the child. This  gloomy predicarment of the Nigerian child was re-choed at a two-day media dialogue put together by the Child Rights Information Bureau, Federal Ministry of Information and Communications and UNICEF.

Participants at the forum which included members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), observed that irrespective of the fact that the the National Assembly passed the draft Child’s Rights Bill  into Law  back  in July 2003, there was little to cheer about the level of structures put in place for its implementation.

With a call for full implementation in States that have already passed the Law, and immediate domestication of the   Child’s Rights Act by 14 States of the Federation that are yet to do so, the  NGE/ UNICEF/ Federal Ministry of Information and Communications, parley regretted that domestication of the Act at State level remains a heaculean task  in the country regardless of  fact that provisions of the Act supersedes all other legislations that have a bearing on the rights of the child.

Having been enacted at the National level, the 36 States of the Federation are expected to formally adopt and adapt the Act before domestication as State laws can be attained.

Participants called for setting up of a child rights desk to advocate for realisation of child rights.  Designated reporters to the  desk are to be  trained in  child rights reporting.

Also, efforts at budget monitoring and implementation of the Child Rights Act are to be intensified especially at the local government level while the curriculum in child rights reporting be mainstreamed in all institutions of higher learning as general studies course.

Urging families to be more  alive to their responsibilities towards the child, the forum avowed that societal attitude towards women reflect poorly on the  well being of the child and urged for better treatment of women in society.

Issues of child rights protection are on the residual list in the Nigerian Constitution, giving Sstates exclusive responsibility and jurisdiction to make laws relevant to their specific situations.

Presently the Child’s Rights Act has been promulgated into Law in 20 States. Delta and Enugu States have passed the Act, but their govenments are yet to sign it into law.

It is hoped that the Act is eventually promulgated into Law in all the States of the Federation.