Save the Children International (SCI), a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) says that Children’s Parliament is an avenue for children to voice out their problems for effective and better solutions.
Miss Edith Gumut, the SCI Advocacy, Campaign and Policy Manager stated this during the Children’s Parliament election organised by SCI for Yobe school children in Damaturu.
Gumut said that one of the visions of SCI was to ensure that every child was able to attend the right to survival, development, protection and participation.
“The children’s parliament is a platform that we find very useful to see children participating in decision-making process that affect them,” she said.
She added that it also served as an avenue for the children to express issues that affected them in the state.
“By voicing out their problems, relevant stakeholders can come to their aid,” Gumut added.
She said the exercise was in collaboration with Ministry of Women Affairs, Yobe State House of Assembly and other critical stakeholders such as FIDA, NBA, representatives of religious traditional leaders.
In her remarks, Hajiya Fati Jajere, Director, Child Development, Ministry of Women Affairs, Yobe, explained that Children’s parliament had been in the state for long.
“it was not a new thing but because of the insurgency the state suffered, it was not reactivated at the expiration of the previous principal officers,” Jajere said.
She explained that students from various schools across the state contested for 10 different principal offices of the State House of Assembly.
“The winners of the election according to her, were Hamisu Maigari as Speaker, Zainab Faraja Deputy Speaker, Rukaiya Abdullahi House Leader, Moses Richard, Deputy House Leader and Khadija Suleiman Chief Whip.
“Other positions contested for, were Deputy Chief Whip, Clerk, Deputy Clerk, Mace Bearer, Deputy Mace Bearer’s offices,” she added.
