Gombe Assembly passes Child Protection Bill into Law
By Chima Azubuike
The State House of Assembly on Tuesday passed into law, the Gombe State Child Protection Bill, 2020.
Presenting a report ahead of the passage of the bill, the chairperson house committee on Women Affairs, Asma’u Iganus, said due to the nature of the bill, the committee carried along key stakeholders.
She added that among those involved were professionals especially proponents of rights.
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Our Correspondent reports that the bill is aimed at providing maximum protection to the vulnerable children in the state.
She said, “the committee had a rigorous consultation with experts and relevant stakeholders both within and outside the state in an effort to enrich the bill and to resolve the contentious issues with the aim of making it acceptable to the people.”
Explaining further the lawmaker said part of the committee effort towards making the bill acceptable, “the committee had earlier organised a public hearing which invited Ministries, Agencies, civil society organisations as well as community and religious leaders so as to give their inputs with regards to the nature of the bill and subsequent passage in to law,” She added.
On his part, Speaker of Gombe State House of Assembly, Abubakar Luggerewo, assured that the bill would not misinterprete the Islamic Sharia, “which is the major area of concern by many people in the society.”
In their separate comments, members representing Yalmatu East, Adamu Pata his counterpart of Billiri West Tulfugut kardi, said careful steps has to be taken so as to avoid contradiction within the concept of the culture and religion.
Meanwhile Nasiru Abdulkarim of Dukku North expressed dissatisfaction with the bill, stressed that he and his people have dissociated themselves from the bill.
