Sokoto government and the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
have signed a N2billion agreement for the implementation of the 2016 work
plan in areas covering health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and
hygiene.
The work plan is aimed accelerating the realisation of the rights of all
“children and women to survival, development, protection and
participation,” said a statement issued by the spokesman of Governor Aminu
Waziri Tambuwal, Malam Imam Imam.
In the agreement, signed by Tambuwal and UNICEF’s Chief of Field for
Sokoto, Mr. Mohammad Mohiuddin, Sokoto government will contribute the sum
of N1,083,384,750 while UNICEF will provide the sum of N1,006,865,500.
“The agreement has the following key objectives: improved access to, and
use of high quality and high impact health, nutrition, water, sanitation
and hygiene interventions for women and children; and improving access to
quality basic education by the most vulnerable boys and girls, and
increased school retention, completion and achievement rates for all,” the
statement quoted Mohiuddin as saying.
Both parties agreed that the status of the socio-demographic and
development indicators carried out in Sokoto between 2013 and 2015 need to
be improved upon.
“At the moment, both infant mortality and under-five mortality rates are
high (89/1000 and 185/1000 respectively). 55.3% of children under five
suffer from chronic malnutrition, 35% of under-five children are
underweight, 10.3% of under-five children are wasted, while exclusive
breastfeeding for children 0-5months is only 10.3%.
“In education, out of school children accounts for 66.83% of total school
going children, net attendance ration at primary level is 39.8% for boys
and 24.6% for girls, while gender parity index for primary level is 0.55,”
Mohiuddin added.
He said while there are proven interventions already on ground to address
the challenges, what is required now is a strong government political
commitment, release of financial resources and collaboration with
development partment towards implementation of the work plan.
In his remarks, Tambuwal said his administration appreciates the need to
turn around the negative statistics, and will work assiduously with UNICEF
and other development partners to bulk the trend.
“We have the political will, and determination, to get it right. We are
confident that at the end of this agreement, substantial progress would be
made. We will keep to our side of the bargain and we thank UNICEF for
taking the leading in helping us in this direction,” the Governor added.