By Uzo Ugwunze
As part of the efforts to enhance protection of children and improve on the mainstreaming of Child Rights reporting in Nigerian tertiary institutions of learning, the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Anambra State, is organising the first mega National Summit on Child Rights in Nigeria.
According to a press release by the chairman of the organising committee of the event, an approval for the hosting of the summit has been given by the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi, who OKed the event initiated by the administration of the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Charles Okechukwu Esimone.
The release further stated that Dr. Obiorah Edogor, a Child Rights Crusader and communication expert, was appointed as the planning committee chairman. In addition, the university appointed an advisory team headed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, (Administration), Prof. Joseph Ikechebelu, to guide the planning committee. The Deans of Faculties of Education, Law, and Social Sciences are also members of the committee’s advisory team.
The mandate of the committee, according to the media release, is to ensure the success of the event by mobilizing child friendly individuals and groups as partners to realize the set goal.
The National Summit on Child Rights will be a two-day event from 26th to 27th September, 2024 at the Main Auditorium, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka with the theme: “Taking Sustainable Positive Actions for the Nigerian Child in the Information Age.”
To this end, the committee with the support of the university has been reaching out to media organisations, legislators, human rights activists, religious groups, pro-child governmental and non-governmental organisations to participate in the event, which is the first of its kind in the country.
Concerned national and state legislators have also been invited to the summit, while invitations would be extended to all commissioners for women affairs across the thirty-six (36) states of the federation, considering the critical role of their ministries in championing the welfare of women and children.
Furthermore, the Ag. Vice-Chancellor, Prof Arinze-Umobi who is a scholar with passionate interest in child rights law, is determined to bring legal luminaries from across the nation to participate in the event, which will no doubt, place Nnamdi Azikiwe University at the fore front in the promotion of child rights scholarship and advocacy.
The proposed National Summit on Child Rights at UNIZIK can be seen as another milestone for the university towards the protection of children in Nigeria.
It should be recalled that in 2022, the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Senate, in furtherance of this objective, introduced courses related to child rights in the faculties of Education, Law, Social Sciences, and the General Studies Unit of the institution.
With the introduction of Child Rights Reporting as a full-fledged course in the General Studies Unit, the institution became the first Nigerian university to achieve such a feat.
To this end, the world’s foremost child rights advocate, UNICEF, acknowledged the effort of the university Senate and urged other Nigerian universities to emulate Nnamdi Azikiwe University in mapping out plans for scholars to join in providing better ways to ensure the welfare of children.
Thus, all relevant governmental and non-governmental organisations are expected to participate in the summit, where there will be critical multidimensional brainstorming on matters concerning children as well as young people across different spheres of life.
This summit will be the first mega national pro-child event in Nigerian university since the enactment of the Child Rights Act (2003).
The summit will, among other things, feature inauguration of child rights club, a keynote address, paper presentations, panel discussions, and a communiqué.
Also, there will be a summit workshop for journalists and other media professionals on the first day of the summit.
Participants are expected to use the opportunity of the workshop to draft a general template that will be a document to guide child rights reporting in Nigeria.
The workshop is also aimed at building a consensus among professionals and other stakeholders on how to report children in the Nigerian media, including new media platforms.
All critical stakeholders are therefore enjoined to support Nnamdi Azikiwe University in this noble goal of championing the course of the Nigerian child.