By John Oba
As Nigerians joined the rest of the world in the celebration of the children’s day, the 2016 Little Miss Nigeria, Queen Precious Onwuka, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari, his wife and the security agencies for the rescuing of the two abducted Chibok girls, saying that is the best gift for the children.
Onwuka who emerged winner of the 2016 Little Miss Nigeria Project (LMNP) held in Abuja recently stated this in her address on the occasion of the children’s day celebration, praying that more efforts be intensified to rescue the remaining girls soon.
Lamenting the rate of out-of school Nigeria children between ages 6 to 11, she stated was one of the reasons she is marking her campaign for inclusive quality education as one of the strategies for attainment of building the country.
She said her project CHILD Street-To-School Campaign will help ensure more children return to school, calling on the government at all levels, civil society organizations and international organizations for support.
She said Nigeria situation calls for urgent actions to help return confidence in the heart of the Nigeria children many of whom are displaced by the prevailing insecurity.
“A whopping 40% of Nigerian children aged 6-11 do not attend any primary school, within the Northern region recording the lowest school attendance rate in the country, particularly for girls.
“Although it is believed that a significant increase in net enrolment rates was recorded in the recent years, it is estimated that about 4.7 million children of primary school age are still not in school in Nigeria.” She regretted.
The Queen added: “We will therefore focus on goal 4 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by being committed to ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
