Hussaini Ibrahim 
DUTSE, Nigeria – Jigawa UNICEF partnership is set to expand after Governor Umar Namadi called for stronger collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to accelerate child welfare, social protection, healthcare, education and human development programmes across the state.
The governor made the call while receiving the newly appointed Chief of UNICEF Kano Field Office, Shafeeq Ur-Rehman, and his management team during a courtesy visit to the Government House in Dutse, describing UNICEF as a trusted development partner that has transformed the lives of women and children in Jigawa for more than three decades.
According to a statement issued on Saturday by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Hamisu Mohammed Gumel, Namadi said the Jigawa UNICEF partnership has evolved from programme support into a strategic alliance focused on improving health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), child protection, social protection and public policy.
“For more than three decades, UNICEF has been an integral part of Jigawa State’s development journey. Since the creation of the state in 1991, this relationship has matured from programme assistance into a durable development partnership defined by trust and a shared conviction that the progress of any society must be measured, in large part, by the condition of its children and women,” Namadi said.
Highlighting recent achievements, the governor said Jigawa’s MASAKI Nutrition Programme increased the number of children recovering from moderate acute malnutrition from about 19,000 in 2024 to more than 43,000 in 2025.
He also said the state had sustained its Open Defecation Free status achieved in 2023 and continued to expand enrollment through its Back-to-School Initiative.
Speaking during the visit, UNICEF Kano Field Office Chief Shafeeq Ur-Rehman praised Jigawa’s commitment to child development, describing some of the state’s initiatives as national models.
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Oluwafunbi Bello 
Korede Abdullah 