The Chairman of the Committee set up by the Gombe state Government to study the Child Rights Act 2003 for domestication in the State, Abdul-Ghaniy M Bello, has given reasons why the law has not been domesticated several years after its adoption by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Speaking with Journalists during a one day consultative meeting on Child Rights Law passage in Gombe State jointly implemented by Bauchi Radio Corporation (BRC) and the Gombe State Ministry of Women affairs and Social Welfare (MWASW) and funded by the European Union, Abdul-Ghaniy Bello Esq. said some portions of the law met a brick-wall when it came at logger heads with some Islamic injunctions.
He said some of the contending issues include the age of marriage of females, age of adulthood and the issue of a child having the right to sue his/her parents among some others.
According to him, these issues and a few others, generated tension and confusion among the generality of the people, as some felt it was a law meant to impose certain western cultures to the detriment of their religious beliefs and traditions.
He said an attempt on the bill which got to the State House of Assembly some years back, was thwarted on the floor of the House for the same reasons, which was why the State Government had to set up the current Committee last year.
A representative of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the Committee, Victor Laima Alkali, who also corroborated Abdul-Ghaniy’s submission stated that CAN accepted the CRL based on the Holy Bible injunctions and stressed that the law completely protects the Child. Mr. Abdul-Ghaniy Bello Esq. represented Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) in the committee.
Victor Laima Alkali pointed out that there were divergent positions on issues raised by JNI which were however resolved. He cited the example of the issue of inheritance where Islam forbade a child gotten out of wedlock from any inheritance and said these and similar laws can only be applicable to Muslims. For the Christians, he said as long as paternity is established, the child has inheritance.
The Yariman Gombe, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abubakar Umar, a member of the Committee from the side of the tradition rulers, said the traditional institution in the State ensured that the laws did not tamper with the people’s religion and cultures.
The fifteen man committee which comprised of representatives of CAN, JNI, traditional rulers, NGOs, CSOs among others is expected to submit its report to the State Government soonest before it will then be forwarded to the Gombe State House of Assembly.
Meanwhile, the Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF Nigeria, Bauchi Field Office, whose goodwill message was presented by Adamu Mamman Puma, Assistant Director, Child Development in the Gombe State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare said the Forum is expected to provide a platform to know exactly how far the committee has gone as well as give stakeholders the opportunity to discuss and identify the next action and strategies for further supporting all the efforts and to join hands together to push forward.