Written By Ahmad Rufa’i in Dutse The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has declared Jigawa State a national model for child-focused development, applauding Governor Umar Namadi for implementing reforms that are now being replicated across the country.
The commendation came during a courtesy visit by the new Chief of the United Nations Children’s Fund Kano Field Office to Government House, Dutse, where he reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to deepening its partnership with the state.
The UNICEF chief said Jigawa’s achievements in sanitation, nutrition, education, healthcare and social protection have placed the state ahead of many others in Nigeria.
He described Jigawa as Nigeria’s first Open Defecation Free (ODF) state, noting that the achievement has been sustained through strong political commitment and collaboration with UNICEF.
According to him, the community-led nutrition programme pioneered in Jigawa has become a successful model that other states are now adopting to combat child malnutrition.
He also praised the state’s commitment to social protection reforms and the establishment of a Management Information System, describing the initiatives as innovations capable of transforming public service delivery.
The UNICEF chief commended Governor Namadi’s administration for consistently providing counterpart funding for nutrition interventions, saying the gesture has enabled UNICEF and its development partners to mobilise additional resources to fight malnutrition.
“Our partnership with Jigawa has produced remarkable gains in child nutrition, routine immunisation, healthcare access and reducing the number of out-of-school children. These achievements demonstrate what committed leadership can deliver,” he said.
He disclosed that UNICEF and the Jigawa State Government had begun consultations on priority programmes that would shape the next Government of Nigeria-UNICEF Country Programme for 2028–2032.
He assured the governor that UNICEF would continue to provide technical expertise, financial support and institutional collaboration to accelerate development outcomes for children and women in the state.
Responding, Governor Umar Namadi described UNICEF as one of Jigawa’s most dependable development partners, whose interventions have significantly improved the lives of women and children since the state’s creation in 1991.
The governor said the partnership has strengthened critical sectors, including healthcare, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), child protection, social protection and policy planning.
He noted that the collaboration aligns with his administration’s Greater Jigawa Agenda, which prioritises investments in human capital development.
Governor Namadi said the recent North-West High-Level Policy Dialogue convened by UNICEF provided a strategic platform for addressing multidimensional poverty through innovative financing and expanded social protection.
He identified the state’s key priorities as reducing child poverty, improving nutrition, expanding social protection, strengthening primary healthcare, increasing school enrolment and widening access to safe water and sanitation.
Highlighting the administration’s achievements, Namadi said Jigawa has recorded measurable improvements in tackling malnutrition, citing the 2023/2024 National Demographic and Health Survey, which showed a decline in both moderate and severe malnutrition.
He revealed that the state’s home-grown Masaki Nutrition Programme increased the number of children recovering from moderate acute malnutrition from about 19,000 in 2022 to more than 43,000 by 2025.
The governor also said Jigawa has maintained its Open Defecation Free status since 2023, while its Back-to-School initiative has returned hundreds of thousands of out-of-school children to classrooms.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening child-sensitive budgeting, expanding social protection and working with UNICEF and other development partners to improve healthcare, education and nutrition services across the state.
Governor Namadi also pledged support for the proposed Universal Child Benefit Initiative, describing it as a practical mechanism for delivering education, healthcare, nutrition and other essential services to vulnerable children and households.
He expressed confidence that the renewed partnership with UNICEF would accelerate progress in building a healthier, better-educated and more prosperous future for the children and people of Jigawa State.
