WHY has the Childs Right Act not been adopted by all the states of the federation?
The Child’s Rights Act 2003 was adopted with the intention of domesticating the convention on the rights of the child. The legislation made a very wide provision for certain rights of children. They border on children justice and family. It falls under Concurrent List. The National Assembly cannot make laws that are binding on states on those issues. Therefore, the Child’s Rights Act enacted by the National Assembly is only application in the Federal Capital Territory and with respect to capital offences. It is the responsibility of the State Houses of Assembly in compliance with Section 12 of the constitution to adopt and make their own state laws. It is unfortunate that the process has been very slow and in some cases, very controversial. Last week, Cross River State became the 23rd state to adopt the Child’s Rights Law. So, we are making progress. Other states in the core North, particularly Kano State, are resisting the law. Jigawa has adopted it despite the fact it has a Sharia ci
