Media professionals in the North East have identified Child Poverty as a major setback in the growth and development of the region.
The media professionals made the assertion at a media dialogue in Gombe State organized by UNICEF, Bauchi Field Office aimed at addressing Child Poverty in Adamawa, Bauchi and Gombe states.
The media professionals from the the three states of Adamawa, Bauchi and Gombe emphasized that lack of political will, sustainability of good government policies and patriotism are major factors affecting child poverty in North-East Nigeria and the Nation at large.
While raising concerns on the root causes of child poverty in the North-East, Ishola Micheal of Nigerian Tribune newspaper, Rebecca Caleb of Gombe Media Cooperation, Tasiu Hassan of Nas FM Yola and Umar Saidu of pilot newspaper who is also the Chairman Nigeria Union of Journalists, Bauchi State council acknowledged the efforts of the media in addressing the economic challenges bedeviling the nation and called on government at all levels and relevant stakeholders to come up with strategies, policies and programmes that will reduce child poverty in Nigeria.
Responding to questions raised by journalists during the engagement on how to end child Poverty and what the media should do to make Government sustain good policies for rapid development, address child poverty and food insecurity in Nigeria, Bashir Hassan of Daily Chronicle Nigeria and also Chief wipe of the session, encouraged journalists to explore other means for outstanding results.
On his part, a Lecturer from the Department of Economics and Development Studies, Federal University Kashere, Gombe State, Ali Madina Dankumo said it is every child’s right to be protected from drivers of child poverty and charged media professionals to amplify the voices of the children to address child poverty in Nigeria.
The media dialogue had in attendance media professionals drawn from print and broadcast media across the three North-Eastern States of Adamawa, Bauchi and Gombe.