The 100 Women Lobby Group has stated the importance of girl child education, noting that there are huge existing gaps on girl-child education that needed to be closed.
National Coordinator of the group, Felicia Iyore Onibon, stated this during their visit to Government Secondary School (GSS), Garki, Area 10, Abuja, as part of activities to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC) with theme “Our Time is Now-Our Rights, Our Future.”
Onibon said education remains the major key to tackling poverty and called for urgent attention to be paid to the needs of girls including leadership skills in order to build them up to take care of themselves early in life.
“One of the main gaps to be closed is education as the gaps for girls education system in Nigeria is getting wider even when the government is doing so much in encouraging girls to go to school.
“We realise that there are so many factors affecting girls education, not just parental issues, but economic issues, and girls are affected the most.
She further noted with empathy the floods and other disaster across the country, saying the effects are usually daunting on women and girls, just as she calls for special attention to relief needs of women and girls.
“When disaster happens like in Kogi and North- east , North-west and riverine areas, it affects girl child because she suffer alongside the mother in ensuring that food gets to the table and school is not even considered.
“We empathise with the girl child and appeal that when food and other relieve materials is sent to the disaster areas, sanitary pads should be included and there should be clusters for education for them to learn before the major school system are opened,” she said.
