Intensify efforts on Leah Sharibu, others’ rescue, Senate tells FG

The Senate, yesterday, called on the federal government to intensify efforts to rescue the remaining Dapchi School girl, Leah Sharibu, from captivity of the Boko Haram insurgents.
Leah was among the 105 pupils of Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, abducted by Boko Haram insurgents on February 19, 2018. She was however held back when others were released and returned to Dapchi on March 21, because she refused renouncing her faith. Aside from Leah, the upper legislative chamber also called on the federal government to intensify efforts on the release of the remaining Chibok girls abducted by the insurgents in April 2014. It also urged all senators to pledge support in cash or kind for 20,000 orphans in Zamfara state and about 10 widows in the state caused by incessant killings by bandits.
The Senate’s resolutions to this effect followed a motion by Senator Binta Masi Garba (APC, Adamawa North), on the occasion of the 2018 Children’s Day. Binta, in the motion cosponsored by eight other senators, stressed that there was the need for the country to leverage on the Children’s Day celebration in the country on May 27 to lay good foundation for them and secure their future.
She noted that though series of legislations already passed in form of the Child Rights Act, 2003 and the Universal Basic Education Act, 2004, had greatly helped in protecting and securing better future for Nigerian children, but the problem of infant mortality and maternal mortality needed to be seriously tackled. She lamented that contrary to provisions of National Health Act, 2014, pregnant women, the elderly, the disabled and children were still being charged for health care services in public hospitals. She added that over 70 per cent of the people in Internally Displaced (IDPs) camps are women and children who have been rendered orphans and widows.
Contributing to the motion, Senator Kabiru Marafa (APC, Zamfara Central), said celebrating the Children’s Day on yearly basis without giving them and their parents adequate security at all times, would amount to nothing and in fact, not securing their future for them. According to him, as a result of incessant wanton killings in Zamfara, not less than 5, 000 lives have been lost, creating a very bleak future for children and mothers going by statistics on ground which, according to him, shows that there are at least 10,000 widows and 20, 000 orphans.
“To us in Zamfara, it is not even about child rights act, but right to life or better put, child survival,” he said. President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, in his remarks, called on states yet to domesticate the Child Rights Act of 2003 to “do so without further delay.” He also hinted that the UBEC law may be amended as a way of strengthening its implementation towards ensuring that every Nigerian child goes to school. According to him, “Nigeria accounts for 10% of the total world infant and maternal mortality rates.”