ENE OSANG reports that Nigerian girls were tasked on creativity.

 

 

Wife of the Vice President Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo, during the session stressed the importance of girl child education, calling on every Nigerian to support and ensure the education of girls in the country.

Osinbajo stated this to commemorate the IDGC held on the theme: “Th e Power of Adolescence Girl: vision 2030.

” According to her, Nigerian girls must strive to be innovative and different, saying the country relies on them for better creative ideas that will boost the economy.

She urged girls to make judicious use of their time, adding that they must be faithful in all they do because the society rely on them.

“I urge you all to take care and take hold of your own time to ensure a better future for yourselves and for the society at large.

You must also strive to be different and innovative, know that you are special and a Nigerian princess and so must be morally upright,” she said.

“You must work hard to stand out among peers around the world.

Girls deserved to be celebrated as they are important part of any society,” she added.

Th e Director General of NCWD Barrister Mary Ekpere Eta, said the day provides an opportunity to further highlight the challenges and potential of adolescent girls and to raise awareness on different types of discrimination and abuse that girls suffer.

She also said it allows for engagement with many community and political leaders on the importance of girl rights to equal education.

“It is no longer news that the girl child continues to face challenges in many countries of the world, including Nigeria, inspire of the efforts by many national and international organisation to address the issues.

“What is news is the unwholesome dimension the trend is taking with new technology, high incidence of poverty and crime resulting in low school enrollment, completion, especially for girl child.

“Young girls are been used as sex slaves and baby making factories, increased rate of sex abuse, early and forced marriages resulting to VVF, trafficking under the guise of providing greener pastures, rape and other violence”.

Th e DG therefore urges FG, states to build on policies to eradicate poverty particularly among females in the country.

Earlier, the UNICEF representative MissTejia Vallandingham, appreciated the eff orts of the government through the Universal Basic Education and other education sector policies, saying a lot still needs to be done.

She said there was need to build and accelerate concerted eff orts to reach out to the many missing Nigerian children missing education.

“Th e supply side of education has some serious concerns, both teacher quality and quantity needed to be addressed and school infrastructure is still a source of worry.

“UNICEF Nigeria is committed to improving the lives of Nigerian women and children.

We continue to be committed to our partnership with the Nigerian Government to provide every child a quality education”.

She said that there was disparities in the access and achievement of quality education in the country in diff erent categories by gender, residence,wealth and geographical location.

Th e representative of Nat. education commission, Prof. Abubakar Haladu said the theme was to create awareness and development capacity on gender and right of educating girls.

He said gender balance in education was the vital strategy for development of any nation, adding that it is pivotal to the dream of any nation to belong the world power “Laws should be implemented to boost girls education that would enable them contributed their own quota to nation building,” he said.

Th e 2017 President of the Girl Child Tabitha Emmanuel, who is an indegene of Goza local government area of Borno state lamented the challenge of northern girls in education.

Emmanuel who is a student of Yelwa Girls Secondary School, said insecurity tops the challenge girls face in the north aside poverty and lack of conducive learning environment.

She appealed to the Federal Government and well meaning Nigerians to ensure the protection of the girl child to enable a better future for them.

 

 

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