The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Monday, in Abuja, lamented the non-domestication of the Child Rights Act as a major hurdle hindering the welfare of women and children in the country.
Akpabio lamented at the inaugural meeting of the Governing Council of the National Institute For Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) and said the ugly development was affecting the realisation of the welfare package designed for women and children in the country.
He said: “While our country has made progress in enhancing the welfare of women and children, some hurdles remain.
“For instance, some states were yet to domesticate the Child’s Rights Act.”
Akpabio also said the public financial management architecture of many states and perhaps that of the federal government needed to do more to make their budgets more responsive to the needs of children.
“This can be done by giving more attention to projects and programmes in the budget that are more specific to addressing the needs of children,” he said.
He pledged his commitment to support NILDS in every aspect, especially in playing its role as the only statutory agency of government empowered by an act of the National Assembly to provide training for legislators and legislative institutions, amongst others.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, who is the co-chairman of NILDS, noted that the institute, being deeply integrated into the workings of the National Assembly, could provide timely and relevant support.