CRC/C/NGA/CO/3-4
(v) The National Policy and Guidelines for the Establishment and
Monitoring of Child Care Centres in Nigeria;
(vi) The National Policy on Adolescent Health of 2006 and the Integrated
Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (IMNCH) Strategy of 2007;
(vii) The Action Plan developed by the National Population Commission for
a permanent and sustainable birth registration system.
4. The Committee also welcomes the accession by the State Party to the following
instruments:
(a) The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant
Workers and Members of Their Families on 27 July 2009;
(b) The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced
Disappearances on 27 July 2009;
(c) The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture on 27 July 2009;
(d) The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide on
27 July 2009.
Main areas of concern and recommendations
1.
General measures of implementation (arts. 4, 42 and 44, para. 6, of the
Convention) and the Committee’s previous recommendations
5. The Committee welcomes efforts undertaken by the State party to address the concerns
and recommendations adopted upon consideration of the second periodic report of the State
party in 2005 (see CRC/C/15/Add.257). However, the Committee remains concerned that
certain recommendations have not been given sufficient follow-up.
6. The Committee urges the State party to take all measures to address those
recommendations contained in the concluding observations on the second periodic
report that have not yet been implemented and to provide adequate follow-up to the
recommendations regarding, inter alia, data-collection systems, the harmonization of
minimum ages and definitions, the death penalty, juvenile justice, corporal
punishment, and children with disabilities, contained in the present concluding
observations on its combined third and fourth periodic report.
Legislation
7. The Committee welcomes the ongoing constitutional review in the State party and, in
this context, the proposal to place the Child Rights Act (CRA) in the concurrent list of
legislation which would make it automatically applicable in all states of the federation. The
Committee remains concerned, however, that most northern states of the State party have
not yet domesticated the CRA and about reports that some states that have passed such
legislation have adopted a definition of the child which is not in compliance with that of the
Convention. Furthermore, the Committee regrets that a comprehensive review on the
compatibility of the existing statutory, religious (sharia) and customary laws with the
Convention and the Child Rights Act has not been carried out.
8. The Committee strongly recommends that the State party ensure that the Child
Rights Act be included in the concurrent list of legislation in the context of the
ongoing constitutional review. The Committee recommends that a comprehensive
review of existing legislation and positive law be undertaken to ensure that all laws at
federal and state levels, including religious and customary law, are in full compliance
with the Convention, as recommended also by the Special Rapporteur on freedom of
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