Out-of-school children: UNICEF moves to cut number in Kano, Jigawa, Katsina

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has reiterated its commitment to supporting Jigawa, Kano and Katsina States to reduce the high rate of out-of-school children and improve the education sector. The UNICEF Chief of Kano Field Office, Mr Rahama Mohammed-Farah, made the disclosure at a media briefing on the International Day of Education (IDE) 2025, on Friday in Kano. He revealed that North-West has the second highest number of out-of-schools in Nigeria. “The situation of out-of-school population in Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States is alarming, and further exacerbated by poor learning outcomes for those children who are fortunate to be enrolled in school. READ ALSO: WHO calls on Trump to reverse withdrawal decision “There are currently about 10.2 million children at the primary level who are out-of-school in Nigeria, 16 per cent of them are from Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states, according to MICS 2021. “Katsina State alone has 536,112 out-of-school children,” he said. Mohammed-Farah said UNICEF would continue to support those states in the areas of increasing enrollment drive, building the capacity of their teachers, improving infrastructure and providing instructional materials. Other areas of intervention, he said, were the provision of personal hygiene and sanitation facilities, safe drinking water points and creating a conducive learning environment. Mohammed-Farah, who said the importance of education can never be over-emphasised, described education as a fundamental human right and engine of development of every society. READ ALSO: Minister warns African women against skin bleaching The chief of the field office, therefore, urged those states to intensify efforts in increasing appropriation, release of funds for basic education. He also said that UNICEF has been supporting psychosocial programmes for children affected by conflicts, violence, or other forms of trauma. The support, he said, helped them to cope with their experiences and foster a safe learning atmosphere. He added that UNICEF introduced innovative approaches such as integrating technology into education to enhance learning opportunities for thousands of students through the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP). According to him, 182,170 children, teachers, and parents registered in it and they were benefiting from the programme. He explained that the digital learning platform had provided free access to 15,000 curricular-aligned content.

Tragic 2,360 Children Killed By Israel In Gaza Strip – UNICEF

*Calls Both Parties To Ceasefire, Release Hostages UNICEF has said that a tragic 2,360 children have died in Israel’s counter attacks in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas’ October 7 attacks on southern Israel. The aid group, which spoke of the “relentless attacks” said 5,364 children have been injured. Since the surprise Hamas attacks on October 7, Israel’s army have been bombing targets in the Gaza Strip and preparing a ground offensive in the sealed-off coastal area. “The situation in the Gaza Strip is a growing stain on our collective conscience. The rate of death and injuries of children simply staggering,” said Adele Khodr, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. He said the Gaza Strip is suffering from acute water shortages, with severe consequences for children, who make up about 50 per cent of the population. UNICEF urged all parties to agree to a ceasefire, provide humanitarian access and release all hostages.

Diphtheria: Kano Records 5,800 Cases– UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), on Tuesday, said that Kano State has recorded 5,800 suspected cases of Diphtheria from January to date. The UN Agency said the cases were recorded in 39 local government areas of the state. The Head, UNICEF Field Office, Kano, Mr Rahama Mohammned-Farah, stated this in Kano during a one-day media orientation on Diphtheria outbreak. According to him, Kano State has the highest number of recorded cases in the country, adding that Diphtheria was a highly contagious and infectious disease that could cause death. Mohammned-Farah stressed that proactive measures were necessary to stem the outbreak. “Recently, we have seen a surge in the number of reported Diphtheria cases in Nigeria, and Nigeria is currently facing an outbreak that needs to be stopped and prevented. “As of July, Diphtheria cases have been on the rise. As of last week, over 400 suspected cases with 11 deaths have been reported in Kano. “Out of the 39 LGAs affected, eight are the most affected, including Ungogo with 2,651 cases; Dala 989, Fagge 943, Gwale 714, Kumbotso 713, Nasarawa 538, Kano Municipal 506 and Tarauni 269,” he said. He said that 60.8 per cent of the suspected cases had been reported in children not vaccinated, which reinforced the critical need to address the issue of zero doses, especially in Kano State. “UNICEF delivered 1.2 million vaccines to the Kano State Government in our continuing support to the government response to Diphtheria outbreak. “Diphtheria outbreak is a threat to child survival, health and the wellbeing of children. UNICEF is collaborating with government and partners to respond to the emergency to save the lives of children affected. “In Kano state, UNICEF supported Tetanus-Diphtheria reactive vaccination campaigns in February, April and August, vaccinating 23,200 children in round one. “While 277,796 children vaccinated in round two and 29,500 others in round-3 of the exercise. “We engaged 150 traditional leaders on Diphtheria outbreak and distribution of Diphtheria IEC materials, and deployed 1,500 VCMs to the worst affected LGAs to conduct house-to-house sensitisations and referral of suspected cases to health facilities. “Media has a key role to play particularly in infection prevention, and risk communication and community engagement,” he said. Also speaking, Dr Muhammad Nasir-Mahmoud, the Director-General, Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board, said the state government had adopted drastic measures to curtail spread of the disease. “We are committed towards educating the public about what is happening and the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) has promised that Kano will be accorded priority in terms of vaccine distribution,” he said. While describing the media as partners in the fight against Diphtheria, Nasir-Mahmoud urged them to support the campaign against the disease.

Nigeria needs 3.9m toilets to tackle open defecation -UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said Nigeria needs to build no fewer than 3.9 million toilets annually to meet the ending open defecation practice by 2025. UNICEF Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Dr. Jane Bevan, said this on Monday at the opening of a two-day Maiden Toilet Business Owners Conference in Abuja. Bevan said that current toilet construction in the country stood between 180,000– 200,000 toilets annually, describing it as inadequate. She said the conference was timely as toilet business owners were key to ending open defecation challenges in Nigeria. According to her, there is a need to do things differently by creating demand for toilets. The private sector could play a huge role in sustainability and strengthening sanitation markets in the country. Bevan, quoting the 2021 WASH National Outcome Routine Mapping on Nigeria’s sanitation status, said 48 million people practice open defecation, while 95 million were without access to basic sanitation services. “About 1.3 percent of GDP or N455 billion is lost annually due to poor access to sanitation – health, health care savings, and productivity. “Every dollar invested in water and sanitation results in economic benefits ranging from 3 dollars to 34 dollars. “Nigeria cannot continue business as usual or it will miss the target of 2025 and 2030. There is a need to strengthen and scale up proven strategies to reach the country’s goals. “The private sector must work closely with all tiers of government and communities to actively create sustainable solutions to address the sanitation needs of unserved and underserved communities and help grow capital investment and human capital.’’ Dr Didi Walson-Jack, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, expressed optimism that Toilet Business Owners (TBOs) would complement government’s effort towards realisation of the objective of ending open defecation in Nigeria. According to her, Nigeria is ready for business and the market is expansive for quicker and bigger returns on investment as long as we are prepared to think outside the box. The permanent secretary noted that the outcome of the conference would reinforce other existing initiatives in achieving the national and global goals for the water, sanitation and hygiene sub-sector. “TBOs are part of the Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) that would help in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. “This is particularly noteworthy in Nigeria where the SMEs have contributed approximately 48 percent to the national GDP over the last five years as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). “Moreover, the SMEs in Nigeria accounted for 96 per cent of all businesses in the country and employed 57.7 million people, representing 84.02 percent of the workforce in 2016. “I am therefore confident that with this level of SME participation in the economy, this conference will equip the participants with a better appreciation of the potentials of these enterprises for the Sanitation Sector.” Earlier, Mr. Chukwuma Nnana, Executive Director, of Toilet Pride Initiative, said one of the biggest challenges in realizing an open defecation-free environment was the lack of enabling environment for these sanitation businesses to thrive. Nnana, who is also the convener of the conference, said that TBOs and sanitation entrepreneurs were yet to be mobilised to their full potential. The conference was designed to showcase and create awareness on the contributions of private sanitation enterprises in scaling up sanitation service delivery in Nigeria. 

UN seeks $2.6bn for humanitarian needs in Sudan

The United Nations humanitarian response plan is seeking nearly $2.56 billion to help people affected by the crisis in Sudan, a senior U.N. official said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the U.N. refugee agency is also seeking more funding to assist those forced to flee. “Today, 25 million people, more than half the population of Sudan, need humanitarian aid and protection. This is the highest number we have ever seen in the country,” said Ramesh Rajasingham, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva and director of the Coordination Division “The funding requirements of nearly 2.6 billion dollars are also the highest for any humanitarian appeal for Sudan.’’ The plan, a revised version of the annual humanitarian plan for 2023, is designed to target 18 million people in need. The conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has caused a humanitarian crisis that threatens to destabilise the region, displacing more than 700,000 people inside Sudan and forcing about 200,000 to flee into neighbouring countries. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),is making a joint appeal with the aid agency on Wednesday, said it was seeking 472 million dollars to assist more than 1 million people over the next six months. “Sadly, we once again need to call on countries and individuals with the means to step up for innocent people who have lost everything through no fault of their own,’’ said Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations at UNHCR.