By Olawumi Oyehan
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has gotten a major national honour at the Annual National Council On Women Affairs, Child Advancement and Social Development that took place in Jalingo, Taraba State.
Thi FCT Women Affairs Secretariat was named the Overall Best Performing State in Child Protection and Welfare at the 26th Regular National Council on Women Affairs, Child Advancement and Social Development.
Speaking on the landmark achievement , Hadjia Asmau Mukhtar, Esq, Permanent Secretary, FCT WAS said the feat was due to the immense support of the FCT Administration led by the Minister Barrister Nyesom Wike.
According to Mukhtar; “You can imagine a Secretariat that is barely three years old achieving this”.
Hadjia Asmau 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, especially their nutrition, education and Healthcare.
She 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 week-long Council, which ran from August 10 to 14, 2026 at the Government House Banquet Hall, T.Y. Danjuma House in Jalingo, Taraba State, was convened by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in collaboration with the Taraba State Government.
It was chaired by the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, and hosted alongside Taraba State Governor Dr Agbu Kefas and the State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Mary Sinjen.
The FCT was fully represented by the FCT Women Affairs Secretariat under the leadership of the Permanent Secretary, Hajia Asmau Mukhtar (Esq), who, on behalf of the territory, received the award, reflecting the strong performance recorded under the guidance of the Honourable Minister of the FCT, Barr Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, and the Honourable Minister of State for the FCT, Dr Maryam Mahmoud.
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 focus on practical measures to deepen child protection, advance women’s economic empowerment and strengthen social protection systems within the Federal Capital Territory.
The Permanent Secretary, FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, Hajia Asmau, 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 overall best performance award and the approval of its three memoranda mark a clear affirmation of the Territory’s growing leadership in child protection and family-centred development.
Beyond the FCT’s top award, several other states received recognition for outstanding performance in inclusive governance and humanitarian interventions, with Kaduna and Borno States among those honoured for social inclusion and humanitarian efforts.
The Council also featured a dedicated gender-based violence summit and technical pre-summits that reviewed national progress, identified policy gaps and worked to translate high-level commitments into actionable frameworks.