The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has called for child sensitive budgeting in Jigawa State to enhance the welfare and development of over 1.5 million children in the state.

Mr. Rahama Rihood Mohammed Farah, Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Kano, made the call while speaking in a Media Dialogue on Child Sensitive Budgeting and Planning.

He said over the years, Jigawa state has made progress in improving the lives of children.

However, according to him, “available data shows that Jigawa State has one of the highest under-five mortality rates in Nigeria, estimated at 127 deaths per 1,000 live births.

“This means approximately 1 in 8 children born in Jigawa do not live to see their fifth birthday.

“55.6% of children under five in Jigawa are stunted. This not only affects their physical growth but irreparably damages their cognitive development, limiting their future potential and trapping families in cycles of poverty.

“Only 5% of children under two receive a minimum acceptable diet.

“While access to primary education has improved, learning outcomes remain a major concern.

“Many children who are in school are not acquiring foundational literacy and numeracy skills crucial for their future.

“For instance, only 2% of primary school learners in Jigawa State have foundational reading skills while less than 1% have numeracy skills.

“Also, children continue to face risks, including child labour and early marriage. Robust systems for child protection require sustained investment to be effective.”

He said children’s sensitive budgeting include, planning, allocating, releasing, spending, and tracking public resources to ensure they effectively and equitably meet children’s specific needs and uphold their rights.

State Commissioner of Budget and Economic planning, Babangida Umar Gantsa said in Nigeria, children continue to face deprivation due to multidimensional poverty and childhood hardships, which have lifelong consequences.

He said Jigawa State Government had been doing its best to protect the rights of children.

Members of the newly formed opposition coalition party ahead of the forthcoming 2027 general elections have revealed why they chose the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

The spokesperson of the opposition coalition, Bolaji Abdullahi, made this revelation on Wednesday, when he appeared as a guest on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television.

Abdullahi said that the choice was born out of the party’s openness to reform and alignment with the coalition’s shared values and vision.

“When we started this journey, we had a list of options, parameters, and conditionalities—the kind of party we were looking for. Those from the APC said no, because the founding principles that led to the formation of the APC had been betrayed,” he said.

According to him, the ADC, while not a perfect fit, presented a unique opportunity for reform, stating that the choice of the former Senate President, David Mark, as interim national chairman boils down to his personality as someone everybody has universal confidence in.

OSUNDAILY NG reports that earlier on Wednesday, leaders of the coalition convened at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, where they formally adopted the ADC as their platform to challenge the APC in 2027.

Prominent figures in attendance included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; Labour Party’s Peter Obi; former governors Nasir El-Rufai and Rotimi Amaechi; and other political stakeholders such as Dino Melaye, Dele Momodu, Solomon Dalung, Senator Gabriel Suswam, Senator Ireti Kingibe, Emeka Ihedioha, and retired Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

Lagos State Government has arrested six persons for illegal refuse dumping on a road median along the Old Abeokuta Expressway, opposite the Total filling station in Agege.

The arrests were carried out on Wednesday evening by a joint enforcement team comprising operatives from the Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, unit and officials of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, confirmed the development via his verified X handle, noting that the offenders were apprehended in the act of indiscriminate waste disposal.

The arrested suspects have been identified as: Khalifa Mohammed, Sanusi Bello, Monsuru Salisu, Uzor Michael, Michael Obi, and Ajoke Shobande.

According to the commissioner, the suspects will be prosecuted in line with existing environmental laws aimed at curbing indiscriminate waste disposal and promoting a cleaner, healthier Lagos.