FCTA BAGS OVERALL BEST AWARD IN CHILD PROTECTION

By: Josie Mudasiru and Felicia Kemi Adeyemi

The Federal Capital Territory Administration has been named the Overall Best Performing State in Child Protection and Welfare at the 26th Annual National Council on Women Affairs, Child Advancement and Social Development that took place in Jalingo, Taraba State.

Speaking during the landmark achievement, Permanent Secretary, FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, Hajya Asmau Mukhtar, Esq, said the feat was due to the immense support of the FCT Administration led by the Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike.

According to the PS, the Secretariat, which is barely 3 years old, has achieved this feat, which is very commendable.

Mukhtar said that the Minister, in line with the Renewed Hope Initiative, is so passionate about Women, children, and vulnerable groups.

She reiterated the importance of Child protection and urged Parents, Guardians, School Owners, and all stakeholders to ensure that Children in their Care are well taken care of, especially their nutrition, education, and Healthcare.

Muktar further praised the FCT Administration for being the first in Nigeria to have a day, December 10, set aside in celebration of the Adolescent Girl.

The Permanent Secretary, who received the award on behalf of the FCTA, reflected the strong performance recorded under the guidance of the Honourable Minister of the FCT, Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, CON, and the Honourable Minister of State for the FCT, Dr Maryam Mahmoud.

Muktar said the outcomes of the 26th Council will guide intensified efforts to ensure that no community in the FCT is left behind as Nigeria operationalises its renewed social protection architecture.

The event, which was chaired by the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, fsi, was hosted alongside Taraba State Governor Dr Agbu Kefas and the State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Mary Sinjen.

In her keynote address, the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development underscored the Council’s theme “Strengthening Families and Advancing the Care Economy for Inclusive Development: Operationalising Nigeria’s Renewed Social Protection Architecture.”

She stressed that the family remains the foundational institution for national development and called for coordinated action to strengthen the care economy, expand social protection, promote gender-responsive and disability-inclusive development, and improve child outcomes across the country.

The FCT Women Affairs Secretariat also scored a significant policy win as the three memoranda it presented for implementation were approved by the Council. The memoranda focused on practical measures to deepen child protection, advance women’s economic empowerment and strengthen social protection systems within the Federal Capital Territory.

The week-long Council, convened by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in collaboration with the Taraba State Government, ran from 10 to 14 August 2026 at the Government House Banquet Hall, T.Y. Danjuma House in Jalingo, Taraba State.