The United Nations Children’s Fund has convened stakeholders from Jigawa, Kano, and Katsina to boost coordination and peer learning on social protection reporting.

This was disclosed on Thursday at the opening of a two-day joint quarterly Social Protection Technical Working Groups meeting organised in Kaduna by UNICEF’s Kano field office.

UNICEF’s social policy specialist, Fatimah Musa, said social protection ensured stable access to income and to essential services like healthcare and education.

According to her, child poverty is higher in rural areas, requiring urgent interventions to help children realise their potential.

“They face severe deprivation, including poor access to nutrition, water, sanitation, healthcare, shelter, education and protection,” Ms Musa said.

Katsina’s budget and economic planning commissioner, Malik Anas, said strengthening social protection was key to tackling poverty and inequality.

Mr Anas said stronger social protection policies were critical to addressing rising poverty and inequality, particularly across Nigeria’s North-West region.

Mr Anas noted that social assistance, insurance and labour interventions were shaped by unequal resource distribution among citizens. He stressed that addressing such imbalances was essential to building a society where opportunities and basic services are accessible to all.

“Poverty is a condition where individuals lack basic needs such as food, housing, clean water and healthcare. Social inequality reflects unequal access to opportunities and rewards among different groups within society.

“Available data show poverty remains a major concern across Nigeria,” Mr Anas stated.

Mr Anas warned that persistent poverty could expose young people to risks, including recruitment into banditry and other crimes.

According to Mr Anas, the Katsina government, under Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, had approved programmes to reduce poverty among vulnerable groups.

“These initiatives aim to strengthen social protection systems, expand opportunities, and build a more equitable society for women and children,” Mr Anas said.

Jigawa’s acting permanent secretary, Abdul Ladan, commended UNICEF for supporting the effective implementation of social protection laws and policies.

Also, Katsina’s social protection director, Tijjani Umar, said the meeting promoted cross-learning on financing, climate-responsive, and child-sensitive interventions. 

(NAN)