Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara Children Lack Access To Social Services – UNICEF

United Nations Children Funds (UNICEF) has said 88 percent of under-5 children in Kebbi, Zamfara and Sokoto states are multi-dimensionally poor in terms of access to social services.

Its social policy specialist in Sokoto Field Office, Isah Ibrahim, stated this yesterday in a paper he presented at a two-day workshop on “Strengthening the Analysis of Child Poverty Measurement for Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi” held in Birnin Kebbi, the Kebbi State capital.

It was organised by the Sokoto State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in collaboration with UNICEF.

He said the poverty rate was due to lack of access to services such as nutrition, education, immunisation among others.

Ibrahim said, “45 percent of children in Kebbi State are not fully immunised while 89 percent of children in Sokoto and Kebbi states are not fully immunized.”

He said the objectives of the workshop were to increase government-partners’ awareness on the current demand for quality data generation, monitoring and analysis on children through the state routine data generation system and to also come up with a roadmap on the institutionalisation of child poverty measurement.

The head of service of Kebbi State, Safiyanu Garba Bena, who was represented by the permanent secretary of General Administration, Cabinet Office, Suleiman Sani Augie, commended UNICEF for organising the workshop.

He said it was timely as the three states were clamouring for social protection and data for effective planning and development.