The Jigawa state governor, Malam Umar Namadi, weekend called for stronger collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to accelerate child welfare, social protection and human development.
He made the call on Friday while receiving the newly appointed chief of UNICEF Kano Field Office, Mr. Shafeeq Ur-Rehman, and his management team on a courtesy visit at the Government House, Dutse.
Governor Namadi noted that UNICEF has partnered with Jigawa for more than three decades since the state’s creation in 1991.
He said such has delivered progress in health and nutrition, basic education, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), child protection, social protection, and social policy.
He said the partnership aligns with the Greater Jigawa Vision and the administration’s 12-Point Agenda, and with priorities from the recent North-West High-Level Policy Dialogue in Kano on “Reducing Multidimensional Poverty through Innovative Financing and Scaled Social Protection Systems.”
In his remarks, Mr. Shafeeq Ur-Rehman commended Governor Namadi’s leadership and said innovations from Jigawa are being replicated across the country.
He praised the state for becoming Nigeria’s first ODF state and for pioneering the MASAKI community-led nutrition project, acknowledging the state’s consistent counterpart funding for nutrition, which UNICEF and international partners have matched.
The UNICEF chief reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment, stating that UNICEF is already working with Jigawa to ensure child priorities are reflected in the next government of Nigeria and UNICEF Country programme covering 2028 to 2032.