Stakeholders have called on the Kano State government to urgently implement the Free Maternal and Child Healthcare Law, enacted in 2023 to improve the health and well-being of women and children in the state.
The call was made during a strategic workshop organised by the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) to accelerate the law's implementation.
The workshop brought together civil society organisations, media professionals, health experts, and government representatives to discuss the challenges and chart a way forward. A guest speaker, Associate Professor Rukayya Yusuf Aliyu, presented a paper titled “Health Sensitive Reporting: Strategies for Agenda Setting the Implementation of Kano State Free Maternal and Child Healthcare Law.”
Rukayya, a lecturer from the Department of Information and Media Studies at Bayero University, Kano, challenged the media to make the law a matter of public discourse. “Media organisations must set the agenda and hold government accountable to ensure the law is fully implemented,” she said.
Associate Professor Rukayya Yusuf Aliyu
The law, passed in 2023, provides a comprehensive and rights-based framework aimed at reducing maternal and child mortality. Key provisions include skilled birth attendance, child immunisation, access to family planning, and improved nutrition services.
Despite its significance, stakeholders lamented the lack of progress in implementing the law. Another speaker at the workshop, Dr. Hafsat Yahaya Yakasai, identified “regulatory barriers, funding gaps, capacity constraints, and public mistrust” as major obstacles to implementation.
Dr. Hafsat Yahaya Yakasai
Dr. Hafsat, also a lecturer at the Department of Public Administration at BUK, said the “government must do the needful to ensure full implementation of the law.” During her presentation, the participants were divided into two groups for practical sessions. Group 1 discussed the importance of strengthening engagement between civil society and government, while Group 2 focused on strategies to make that engagement more effective.
Also speaking at the workshop, CHRICED’s Executive Director, Comrade Dr. Ibrahim Zikirullahi, criticised the government for passing the law without an “operational roadmap, a consultative council, or a strategic implementation framework.” Comrade Zikirullahi, represented by Haj. Nafisa Ado, a member of the Board of Directors, emphasised the need for strong public engagement and political will to activate the law.
At the end of the workshop, stakeholders collectively committed to intensifying advocacy, building partnerships, and engaging the public to push for the full implementation of the Free Maternal and Child Healthcare Law in Kano State.
