Buhari refuses to give assent on bill seeking child liberation
President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to give assent on four bills on his table, returning them to the National Assembly.
The bills are the “Corporate Manslaughter Bill, 2018”; “Agricultural Credit Scheme Bill, 2018”; “National Child Protection Bill, 2018”; and “Court and Tribunal Standard Scale Fines Bill, 2018.”
Though Buhari gave his reasons for his refusal to sign the bills into law, the one that strikes out is the National Child Protection Bill 2018.
That bill, Newsroom gathers, aims to ensure child sensitive social protection policies that addresses child poverty, vulnerability and risks.
It also aims to monitor and analyze patterns and trends of child rights violations in Nigeria in liaison with States child rights (human rights) monitoring bodies, and other child protection agencies.
If the bill is signed into law, the National Child Protection and Enforcement Agency would be able to compile data regularly on child rights violations in collaboration with relevant sectors including justice, public health, education, social welfare, and publish regularly reports on the state of child rights protection in Nigeria.
It would also coordinate and supervise the activities of all child protection service providers in Nigeria, to ensure timely provision of appropriate assistance to victims of child rights violation.
Buhari, however, says that the proposed agency would only duplicate the functions of already established agencies and the Ministry of Women Affairs.
In Nigeria, cases of child abuse and exploitation are rife, with victims hardly ever getting any justice. There can’t be more than enough government agencies to tackle the menace.
