Pharmacist seeks urgent domestication of the VAPP Act to protect Kano’s girls

Pharmacist, researcher, and global health advocate Dr. Emmanuella Nzeribe has renewed calls for the Kano State Government to domesticate the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP Act), stressing that the lives and safety of young girls in the state depend on it. Dr. Nzeribe, a Science-Policy Communications Fellow at Nigerian Health Watch, made the appeal […]

Pharmacist, researcher, and global health advocate Dr. Emmanuella Nzeribe has renewed calls for the Kano State Government to domesticate the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP Act), stressing that the lives and safety of young girls in the state depend on it.

Dr. Nzeribe, a Science-Policy Communications Fellow at Nigerian Health Watch, made the appeal in her recent policy commentary titled “Unfinished Shield: Why Kano’s Girls Deserve the Full Protection of the VAPP Act.” She described Kano’s continued delay in adopting the law as a critical human rights and public health failure, noting that the state remains the only one in Nigeria yet to domesticate the federal legislation against gender-based violence and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

“The true measure of a society’s progress is not the height of its commerce, but the safety of its most vulnerable,” Dr. Nzeribe said. “For Kano’s daughters, that shield of protection remains tragically incomplete. The absence of the VAPP Act leaves countless young girls at risk, and for every victim, there is no clear legal recourse or credible deterrent to stop the next cutting.”

According to the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), 20 percent of Nigerian women aged 15–49 have undergone FGM, with 82 percent of the procedures performed before the age of five. Dr. Nzeribe noted that these figures highlight an “urgent and narrow legislative window” to protect infants and young children from the harmful practice.

She emphasized that Kano’s inaction undermines the progress made nationwide since the criminalisation of FGM in 2015, adding that the lack of a localized version of the VAPP Act “creates a vacuum where the rule of law should be,” allowing perpetrators to act with impunity.

Drawing lessons from other states, she cited Ebonyi and Ekiti as successful examples where the domestication of the Act has led to stricter penalties, stronger law enforcement, and a decline in FGM cases through increased community awareness and accountability.

Dr. Nzeribe also pointed to Kenya’s success story, where the establishment of a dedicated Anti-Female Genital Mutilation Board has contributed to a steady reduction in FGM prevalence. She urged Kano State not only to sign the bill but also to build a strong institutional framework for enforcement, monitoring, and public education.

“This commitment to domestication is not about condemning tradition,” she said, “but about championing the well-being and future of our children. The VAPP Act is the shield we have forged, but a shield is only as strong as the will to hold it up.”

Dr. Nzeribe stressed that full enforcement of the VAPP Act would empower law enforcement agencies, strengthen judicial prosecution, and protect the economic and health potential of women and girls.

She concluded with a strong call to action, urging the Kano State House of Assembly to complete the domestication process without delay, saying, “Let Kano not just adopt the law, but activate it ensuring that every daughter born within its borders is guaranteed a future free from the scourge of FGM. The time for full protection is now.”