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Tag: UNICEF

  • Over 1.2 million children yet to be immunized in Nigeria -UNICEF

    Over 1.2 million children yet to be immunized in Nigeria -UNICEF

    The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says no fewer than 1.2 million children in Nigeria are yet to be immunized.
    The figure accounts for about six per cent of 20 million children globally who are yet to be vaccinated.

    Mrs Folashade Adebayo, UNICEF’s Communication Officer, made the disclosure in Yola on Wednesday, at an ongoing “Media Dialogue On Routine Immunisation, Post Polio Certification and COVID-19 Vaccination”.

    The meeting was organised by The Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in collaboration with the UNICEF.

    According to science.org.au, immunisation is described as “the process whereby people are protected against illness caused by infection with micro-organisms, formally called pathogens.

     

    The term vaccine refers to the material used for immunisation, while vaccination refers to the act of giving a vaccine to a person.”

    Adebayo said that over 20 million children in the world are not immunised, adding that, about six per cent of them are in Nigeria are basically missing out on vital vaccines.

    According to her, there is a need to report more stories on poor immunisation rates in Nigeria to wake parents up to do the right thing for their children.

    Adebayo said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had also disclosed that Nigeria is the country with the highest number of under five-deaths in the world.

    She said that this position really called for serious attention on the part of the parents to take the issue of immunisation of their children serious at this point time.

    “Improving survival and well-being of our children matters most here, the direct or underlying cause of 45 per cent of all deaths of under five children is immunisation.

    “Nigeria has the second highest burden of stunted children in the world, 2.7 million other children are wasted.

    “Also the COVID-19 pandemic and measures to contain it are worsening,” she said.

    She, however, called for change in the narrative on the part of the parents, adding that, governments and other relevant agencies must also play their key role to achieve better results.

  • COVID-19: Stop spreading rumours, get vaccinated — UNICEF tells Nigerians

    COVID-19: Stop spreading rumours, get vaccinated — UNICEF tells Nigerians

    The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged Nigerians to get vaccinated against the novel Coronavirus instead of spreading rumours about the efficacy of vaccine which is to prevent the virus.

    Mrs Elizabeth Onitolo, UNICEF Specialist, Communication for Development (C4D), made the call at a three-day media dialogue in Yola on Tuesday.

    According to Onitolo, everyone is at risk of contracting the virus and the only way out is to get vaccinated and stop the rumours that the Astrazeneca vaccine has side effects.

    She said that government was doing everything to get people to focus on the science that justified the use of the vaccine rather than create sensational politics and unfounded stories around it.

    She listed the COVID-19 vaccines around the world to include Pfizer, Oxford Astrazeneca, Johnson and Johnson (Janssen) and Moderns, adding that all performed the same function of prevention.

    According to the C4D specialist, there is no natural immunity to COVID-19, hence the need for everyone to continue observing the non pharmaceutical measures which are washing of hands, use of face masks and observing physical distancing.

    “COVID-19 vaccine is safe; the vaccine has been certified safe by the World Health Organisation and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

    “COVID-19 does not contain any micro-chips as is being speculated in some section; there is need to continue to wear face mask even after vaccination,” she emphasised.

    Onitolo, however, urged the media to help address the rumours and myths around the COVID-19 vaccine by telling Nigerians the efficacy and other benefits of the vaccine.

  • 26.5m Nigerian children experiencing high water vulnerability – UNICEF

    26.5m Nigerian children experiencing high water vulnerability – UNICEF

    The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF says no fewer than 26.5 million Nigerian Children do not have enough water to meet their daily needs and are experiencing high or extremely high water vulnerability.

    UNICEF in a statement to commemorate the 2021 World Water Day, said globally, more than 1.42 billion people – including 450 million children – are living in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability.

    According to a new analysis released by UNICEF, one in five children worldwide lack water to meet their everyday needs.

    The analysis, is part of the Water Security For All Initiative, identifies areas where physical water scarcity risks overlap with poor water service levels.

    The statement quotes Mr Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, as saying that Communities living in these areas depend on surface water, unimproved sources of water, or water that can take more than 30 minutes to collect.

    “The world’s water crisis is not coming – it is here, and children are its biggest victims.

    “When wells dry up, children are the ones missing school to fetch water. When droughts diminish food supplies, children suffer from malnutrition and stunting.

    “When floods hit, children fall ill from waterborne illnesses. And when water is not available in Nigerian communities, children cannot wash their hands to fight off diseases”.

    The UNICEF data show that children in more than 80 countries live in areas with high or extremely high water vulnerability with Eastern and Southern Africa with the highest proportion.

    It is followed by West and Central Africa (31 per cent), South Asia (25 per cent), and the Middle East (23 per cent).

    Hawkins noted that in 2020, the Nigerian Government and UNICEF released a WASH NORM survey which showed some progress, through the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and its partners to strengthen the sector’s planning and monitoring.

    He noted that much more work to be done in the country was to ensure that all Nigerians have access to adequate and quality water and hygiene services.

    “Sustainable and equitable access to safe drinking water remains a challenge in Nigeria, with over 86 per cent of Nigerians lacking access to a safely managed drinking water source.

    “The problem is compounded by poor drinking water quality and lack of equity in access. Although about 70 per cent of Nigerians are reported to have access to a basic water services, more than half of these water sources are contaminated”.

    “And although 73 per cent of the country’s population have access to a water source, only nine litres of water on average is available to a Nigerian daily.

    “At the current rate, the country will miss the SDG targets on people’s access to water, unless there is a strong commitment and appropriate action taken by all stakeholders.

    “We have to act now both to address the water crisis in Nigeria to prevent it from getting worse and if we want to meet the SDGs.

    “We can only achieve water security for every Nigerian, including the Nigerian child through innovation, investment and collaboration, and by ensuring services are sustainable and well-managed, We must act for the sake of our children and our planet.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that March 22 annually is commemorated as World Water Day, to raise awareness on global water crisis.

    The theme of World Water Day 2021 is ‘Valuing Water’.

    The value of water is about much more than its price – water has enormous and complex value for our households, food, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment.

  • UNICEF condemns brutal attack, abduction of schoolgirls in Zamfara

    UNICEF condemns brutal attack, abduction of schoolgirls in Zamfara

    The United Nations Children Fund says it is angered and saddened by the abduction of over 300 schoolgirls in an overnight attack on the Government Girls Secondary School in Jangebe, Talata in the Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State, North-West Nigeria.

    “We are angered and saddened and by yet another brutal attack on schoolchildren in Nigeria,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria.

    “This is a gross violation of children’s rights and a horrific experience for children to go through – one which could have long-lasting effects on their mental health and well-being. We utterly condemn the attack and call on those responsible to release the girls immediately and for the government to take steps to ensure their safe release and the safety of all other schoolchildren in Nigeria.”

    “Children should feel safe at home and at school at all times – and parents should not need to worry for the safety of their children when they send them off to school in the morning,” Hawkins added.

    “UNICEF acknowledges efforts being made by the Government of Nigeria to secure the release of kidnapped schoolchildren in Nigeria and calls on the government and all concerned to make schools safe in Nigeria.”

    The school attack on Zamfara comes about a week after a similar attack occurred in Niger State on a school for boys.

  • 57% Nigerian children don’t have birth certificates – UNICEF

    57% Nigerian children don’t have birth certificates – UNICEF

    The United Nations Children’s Fund on Monday averred that 57 per cent of Nigerian children under the age of five years don’t have birth certificates.

    The child protection specialist in charge of UNICEF Zone A Field office, Enugu, Victor Atuchukwu, revealed this in Awka during the training of 75 health workers from selected health facilities in the 21 local government areas of Anambra State.

    He said, “It is the right of every child to have a birth certificate, but many parents did not consider it important. Without birth certificate, time would come when the child would discover that he or she had no official record of vital information.”

    The Director of the National Population Commission in the state, Joachim Ulasi, who noted that the commission did not have enough man power for birth registration, said, “We just have 148 registration centres, comprising 21 controllers who are deputy chief registrars for the 21 local government areas. If they are removed from the 148, we are left with 127, which are located in health facilities throughout Anambra State. This number is not enough. We have 181 autonomous communities and we need at least one centre in each community while the large communities should have two or more.”

    Ulasi, however, added that NPC had concluded plans to digitalise the birth registration exercise in the state.

     

  • UNICEF issues statement on sentencing of 13-year-old child to 10-years’ imprisonment for blasphemy

    UNICEF issues statement on sentencing of 13-year-old child to 10-years’ imprisonment for blasphemy

    UNICEF today expressed deep concern about the sentencing of 13-year-old Omar Farouq to ten years’ imprisonment with menial labour by the Kano State Sharia Court at Feli Hockey, Kano, in northern Nigeria.

     

    The sentence was handed down after he was convicted of blasphemy on 10 August 2020.

     

    “The sentencing of this child – 13-year-old Omar Farouk – to 10 years in prison with menial labour is wrong,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria. “It also negates all core underlying principles of child rights and child justice that Nigeria – and by implication, Kano State – has signed on to.”

     

    The sentence is in contravention of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Nigeria ratified in 1991. It is also a violation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child – which Nigeria ratified in 2001 – and Nigeria’s Child Rights Act 2003, which domesticates Nigeria’s international obligations to protect children’s right to life, survival and development.

     

    UNICEF called on the Nigerian Government and the Kano State Government to urgently review the case with a view to reversing the sentence.

     

    UNICEF expressed appreciation of the strides recently made by the Kano State Government to pass the Kano State Child Protection Bill.

     

    “This case further underlines the urgent need to accelerate the enactment of the Kano State Child Protection Bill so as to ensure that all children under 18, including Omar Farouq are protected – and that all children in Kano are treated in accordance with child rights standards,” said Peter Hawkins.

     

    UNICEF will continue to provide support the Nigerian Government and Kano State Government on child protection system strengthening, including justice sector reform, to ensure that states put in place child-sensitive measures to handle cases involving children. This includes adopting alternative measures, in line with international best practice, for the treatment of children alleged to have committed offences that does not involve detention or deprivation of family care.

     

    The child rights organization stressed the Government’s international obligations to ensure child-sensitive judicial measures for children who are alleged to have committed any offence. This should include ensuring quality legal representation and full implementation of child justice principles – all of which are geared towards reform, rehabilitation and reintegration of the child with their family and community.

     

     

  • Children in richest countries face obesity, lack of skills –UNICEF

    Children in richest countries face obesity, lack of skills –UNICEF

    Many children in the world’s richest countries lack basic mathematics and reading skills, and suffer from poor mental well-being and obesity, according to a UNICEF report made available on Thursday.

     

    The report ranks 41 European Union and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries on children’s health, skills, and happiness.

     

    Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway top the league table, while Bulgaria, Chile, and the U.S. are placed the worst places to be a child among high-income countries.

     

     

     

    According to UNICEF, around 20 per cent of children do not have high life satisfaction in most affluent countries.

     

    Turkey fares worst, with only 53 per cent of children having high life satisfaction, followed by Japan and Britain.

     

    In terms of physical health, around one in three children are obese or overweight, with rates in Southern Europe sharply rising.

    Lithuania has the highest rate of adolescent suicide, followed by New Zealand and Estonia.

     

     

    About 40 per cent of children in rich countries lack basic reading and Maths skills by age 15, with those in Bulgaria, Romania, and Chile the least proficient, UNICEF said.

     

  • UNICEF, Patoranking re-release Bob Marley’s “One Love”

    The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with Patoranking, a popular Nigerian musician and some other artistes, on Friday re-released the late Bob Marley’s iconic song, “One Love”.

    This is contained in a statement signed by UNICEF Abuja, Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships officer, Mr Oluwatosin Akingbulu.

    Akingbulu said that proceeds from the song and related activities would be used to support “Reimagine”, UNICEF’s new global campaign.

    He said that the campaign was organised to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from becoming a lasting crisis for children and to ensure the post-pandemic world was fairer and more equal for every child.

    “The release is to support UNICEF’s work to reimagine a fairer, more just world for children whose lives had been upended by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “The money raised from ”One Love” for UNICEF’s Reimagine campaign will help UNICEF respond to the immediate needs of children worldwide by providing soap, masks, gloves, hygiene kits, protective equipment and life-saving information for children and families.

    “Also, to support near term recovery efforts, including education, protection and healthcare systems; and further UNICEF’s work to reimagine a fairer, more just world for children,” he said.

    The officer said that Tuff Gong International and Amplified Music released the new version of the seminal song, with the help of several international artistes who appeared in the new version, including Nigerian artiste, Patoranking.

    He said that the song featured artistes and musicians from Nigeria, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Jamaica, Mali, New Zealand, Sudan, Syria, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

    The statement quoted Patoranking as saying that he was thrilled to be a part of the project, with UNICEF and the Marley family, who were lending their generous support, creativity and love to help the most vulnerable children around the world.

    “Together, we can defeat the virus and also build our countries to be stronger and better.”

    In her remarks, the daughter of late Marley, Ms Cedella Marley, said her late father’s message through the song, “One Love”, remained true in present days.

    “More than 40 years ago, my father wrote ‘One Love’ about unity, peace and universal love during a time when there was much trouble in the world.

    “Even in a time when we aren’t able to get together, his message remains true today.

    “We can get through this global crisis if we come together through one love and one heart, ” she said.

  • UNICEF urges Nigeria to ‘seize the moment’ for routine vaccination

    UNICEF urges Nigeria to ‘seize the moment’ for routine vaccination

    UNICEF today said that Nigeria is facing a critical moment of choice, wherein children can either be protected from a host of preventable diseases – or face an uncertain future and possibly dire health prospects.

     

    The call came as UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of an alarming decline in global vaccine coverage due to a COVID-19 pandemic that is disrupting the delivery and uptake of immunization services around the world.

    “This is a critical moment for Nigeria’s children. We can either seize it – or condemn millions of children to preventable illness or even death,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF’s Representative in Nigeria.

     

    “We are in a strong position here in Nigeria – we have a full stock of routine immunization vaccines and can use the strong community outreach programmes across the country, not only to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but to also ensure children receive vaccinations for diseases we can easily prevent. We must seize this moment to be creative and act wisely,” said Dr Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director of Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA)

     

    Global disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic are threatening to reverse hard-won progress in immunization rates worldwide, according to new data by WHO and UNICEF.

     

     

     

    At stake is critical progress made over the last decades in reaching more children and adolescents with a wider range of vaccines, including in Nigeria. However, despite this progress, Nigeria still contributes 30 percent of the global number of unimmunized children between the ages of 0 and 5.

     

     

     

    “We have a long way to go to ensure greater protection for children against disease – and vaccination rates, including against the highly contagious and deadly measles virus, are in danger of lapsing,” said Peter Hawkins. “Let’s seize this moment to reimagine how we bring vaccinations to children, leveraging on existing community structures for COVID-19 prevention, to improve vaccination rates too – and ensure a brighter and healthier future for Nigeria’s children.”

     

     

     

    The global vaccination coverage rate with the third dose of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) has plateaued at 85 per cent since 2010. In Nigeria, numbers show that routine immunizations in the first 6 months of 2020 have dropped compared to the same period in 2019 – indicating a deterioration in important routine vaccination coverage, due to COVID-19.

     

    “No Nigerian child should die from a preventable disease that can be easily prevented with an affordable vaccine that is readily available within our borders. Let us not let COVID-19 distract us from the work we still need to do to ensure that EVERY Nigerian children receives their full routine immunizations,” said Peter Hawkins.

     

    COVID-19 disruptions

     

    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, at least 30 measles vaccination campaigns around the world were or are at risk of being cancelled, which could result in further outbreaks in 2020 and beyond.

     

    “We already knew the challenge of vaccinating every child was daunting, and now we know that COVID-19 has made a challenging situation even worse,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “We must halt a further deterioration in vaccine coverage and reinforce vaccination services before children’s lives are threatened by other outbreaks. We cannot trade one health crisis for another.”

     

    Stagnating global coverage rate

     

    Given stagnating global coverage levels, the likelihood that a child born today will be fully vaccinated with all the globally recommended vaccines by the time she will be 5 years is less than 20 per cent.

     

    The analysis shows that in 2019, nearly 14 million children did not receive any of the life-saving vaccines such as measles, diphtheria, tetanus or pertussis. Two-thirds of these children are concentrated in ten countries: Nigeria, India, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, Philippines, Ethiopia, Brazil, Indonesia, Angola and Mexico.

    Countries that had recorded significant progress, such as Ethiopia and Pakistan, are now at risk of backsliding if immunization services are not restored as soon as feasible.

    “We must reimagine immunization in Nigeria and build back better, despite the pandemic,” said Peter Hawkins.

     

    “We can do this by building the confidence of caregivers in accessing immunization services, reaching out to people where they are to ensure they understand the importance of these vaccinations for their children’s lives, and protecting healthcare workers so that they can deliver these services safely and effectively.”

  • Kallon condemns bandits attack On Borno community

    Kallon condemns bandits attack On Borno community

    The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, has reacted to a recent attack on civilians in Gubo Local Government Area, Borno State.

     

    In a statement signed by Eve Sabbagh, Head of Public Information of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on June 11th, Kallon condemned “reports of violent incidents against civilians carried out by non-state armed groups in Borno State, in which 81 civilians were ruthlessly killed and many others wounded.”

     

    Armed bandits had attacked Felo community in Gubio Local Government Area, in Maiduguri, Borno state on June 9th 2020.

     

    According to Kallon, the attack is “the deadliest recorded in north-central Borno State since July 2019.”

     

    Read the full statement below:

     

    “I am outraged and incensed by incoming reports of violent incidents against civilians carried out by non-state armed groups in Borno State, in which 81 civilians were ruthlessly killed and many others wounded.

     

    On the afternoon of 9 June, armed actors aboard motorcycles mounted a brutal attack on Felo community in Gubio Local Government Area, 80 kilometres away from the state capital Maiduguri. I am also receiving worrying reports that civilians were shot while trying to escape and that assailants set ablaze homes with civilians still inside as well as stole more than 1,000 heads of cattle.

     

    I extend my sincere condolences to the families of the innocent people who lost their lives in this abhorrent act. They are mothers, fathers, daughters and sons who should never have been a target. My thoughts are with the countless members of this community whose homes and livestock were burned or stolen. I am also wishing a speedy recovery to the people who were injured.

     

    This attack, the deadliest recorded in north-central Borno State since July 2019, has sent shockwaves across the humanitarian community working to provide life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable in Borno State.

     

    I am gravely concerned by the level and number of violent attacks recorded in recent weeks. I am also troubled by the widespread practice by non-state armed groups of setting up illegal checkpoints along main supply routes, which heighten risks for civilians to be abducted, killed or injured.

     

    Aid workers are directly impacted and the humanitarian community is disturbed by the news of possible abductions, including that of a camp manager from the Borno State Emergency Management Agency working in the northern Borno State town of Monguno, where tens of thousands of civilians are desperately in need of humanitarian assistance.

     

    I vehemently condemn any and all acts of violence against innocent civilians who have been bearing the brunt of this decade-long conflict for too long, as well as aid workers who are risking their lives to help them. I call for the immediate and safe release of all aid workers and civilians who remain in captivity.

     

    I firmly urge all actors on the ground to protect civilians and aid workers, and ensure the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable women, children and men, who desperately need relief, particularly at this crucial time when we are all scaling up efforts amid the COVID-19 pandemic.”