…Urges vote for credible leaders that will uphold rights of the girl child in Nigeria
By Chimezie Godfrey
The Health Aid for All Initiative (HAFAI) in collaboration with Global Glow in commemoration of the International Day the Girl Child (IDG) has called for end to inequality and barbarism against women in Nigeria.
The theme for this year’s IDG is “Our Time is Now, Rights, Future.”
In her opening remark, the Executive Director, HAFAI, Dr. Ugochi Ohajuruka noted that
HAFAI is a nongovernmental organization that is focused on maternal Child and adolescent health and its interconnections with Education, environment and Economic empowerment.
Ohajuruka revealed that HAFAI partnership with Global Glow USA on this Glow and Healthy Glow project, recently launched the Girl Boss project for Out Of School Girls.
Ohajuruka who decried discrimination against the girl called for end to all forms of gender based violence against women in Nigeria.
She said,”At HAFAI OUR Programmatic focus areas address the issues of educational attainment, self-advocacy, community impact, health & well-being and economic opportunity. Our core programming includes school clubs and out of school or IDP clubs facilitated through mentors that focuses on encouraging educational engagement and building social emotional learning skills
“With the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown, we came up with an innovative way of reaching the girls through the Radio. This digital intervention allowed them to build community with each other, disseminate knowledge and share critical COVID-19 related information during an extremely isolating time.
“Our programs connect girls to strong, safe and capable adult role models and Mentors. This Strategy is centered on a girl-led approach to advocacy, with participating girls taking it upon themselves to keep their communities informed and empowered with health-related information Peer support is of course beneficial, but building a trusted mentor into the foundation of our-programming-someone experienced who girls can work with, confide in and process this moment with-has proven to be hugely a beneficial support system.
“Our work looks at humanity not ethnicity, race or religion, it focuses on building individuals instead of structures because we have seen a disconnect between the humans and the structures built for them.
“You girls have been emboldened to stand up against all forms of Gender Based Violence, According to UNICEF 1 in 4 girls are sexually assaulted before they turn 18, 1 in 5 girls miss school due to lack of menstrual solutions and 1 in 10 have undergone a form of harmful traditional practice like Female Genital Mutilation. This inequality and barbarism MUST end. and the Time is Now.”
Ahead of the forthcoming 2023 general elections, Ohajuruka urged Nigerian women to give their votes to credible candidates, especially those that would uphold their rights.
“As the elections are approaching, Girls, take this as a charge, It is your duty to remind your parents and guardians to vote in credible leaders that will support and uphold the rights of the girl child in Nigeria….. Remember the time is now, our fight our future. Challenges does not necessarily mean that we cannot make progress, infact, success is measured by the obstacles that we have overcome.
“You have learnt to be bold confident and courageous, I urge you to be always open to corrections, share the knowledge you have garnered with your peers and above all believe in yourself.
“Remember the theme of this year’s progrem is Our Time is Now Our Rights, Our future. I will leave you with this paraphrased quote of Bruce Lee “If you love life, please don’t waste time, for time is what life is made of ,” she said.
Some of the students of the Junior Secondary School, Wuse Zone 3, in their letters to the Nigerian government called for free education for the girl child, among other demands
Abolade Oladipo an 11 years old Js 2 student of the school, in her letter the President Mohammadu Buhari urged him to make education free for the girl child in Nigeria.
She wrote,”Dear President,
“I humbly wish to draw your attention to the negative trends I perceive going on in our society on the attitude of parents toward the Education of female. As the number citizen of our great nation and father, urgently swing into action to secure the future of every Female child’s right to free and compulsiry Education from Primary School to University Education.”
She also drew the attention of the constitutional right of the all females to have equal access to facility belonging to the nation.
“Your Excellency, you may wish to understand that, it is enshrined in the constitution of our country that male and female have equal right to every facility belonging to the nation. But it’s quite unfortunate that some parents and individuals have decided to deny this right to girls Education to their wards for reason best knownto them.
“The trends I observed spreading across our Nation presently, some parents have made up their minds that their female/girl child will not move beyond primary school level, the situation that led many gifs child to early marriage and child labour from 11 years or less.
“Sir, I would like to draw your attention to some of great women that have excelled in their career in Nigeria, great women like Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Late Professor Dora Akuny, Late Fumillayo Rasome Kuti to their blessed memory. All these women were Educated and they reached the top of their career.
“In our present era, many women head cooperate organizations, there are many female in Government offices, Banks and big businesses across the world this is as a result of their excellent performance in Education Your Excellency, for these reasons, I will like you to enact a law through the National Assembly that will make Girl child Education compulsory from primary to university level and free, thereby, no parents will have any excuses, however any parent that disobey the order will be punished accordingly. If your government can take this bold step, it will salvage our generation from this downward trend in girl’s education and threat posed in this regard,” she noted.
Among several protest letters written by the students to Mr President, include that of 14 year old JS3 student, Goodluck Omekwu who drew his attention to the fact that over 10 million girls are out of school in Nigeria.
She pointed out that majority of these girls are from the Northern Nigeria, adding that it is the height the gender inequality
“Dear President Muhammad Buhari,
Please permit me to bring to your notice the challenges facing the girl child in Nigeria. I do so because I believe as a father to the nation you are in the best position to address these challenges and these includes; Out of school girl child, Discrimination against girl child, Girl child labour, Early child marriage, Girl child as a victim of war and conflict and Sexual Abuse.
“First of all, Mr. president the United Nations International Children Fund (UNICEF) has indicated that currently over 10 million girls are out of school in Nigeria. Most importantly you will need to know that majority of these out of school children are actually from Northem Nigeria.
“This situation is the height the gender inequality where only 1 in 4 girls from poor rural families complete Junior secondary school Education. This situation has to be reversed by getting many girls child back to school.
“Permit me to also bring to your attention Discrimination Against Girl child, in many of our culture the male child is given preference over the girl child. Families will prefer to send the male child to school while the girl child will be sent to farm or follow the mother to the market.
“Thirdly, it is a common sign to find many young girls hawking groundnuts, banana and pure water in the street instead of being at school and as a result of this the future of the girl child is compromised.
“Permit me also to bring to your attention the difficulties faced by the Nigeria girl child as a result of conflict in many parts of Nigeria, the conflict situation has resulted to the problem of Internally.
“Displaced Persons camp with many of the people in the camp made up of young girls. Lives in the
“IDP Camps is full of deprivations such as lack of food, accommodation, lack of water and other necessities. Conflict often forces people to the IDP Camps,” she pointed out.
She urged the President to address other issues affecting the girl child which include hunger and starvation, diseases, kidnapping and sexual abuse.m, among others.
She stressed that solution to these challenges will make the life of the girl child better.
Speaking at the event, the Principal of the School, Mrs Ojo Olukemi said she was proud of the students’ beautiful presentation, adding that International Day of the Girl Child is necessary as it gives the female children a sense of belonging.
She therefore urged them not to allow people trample on their rights, adding that they equal rights with the male children.
“Am so excited seeing the students of Junior Secondary School making their presentations, they are so bold and the presentations and the presentation has been so wonderful. The international day of girl child is a celebration that is worth doing for these female children because of the way they are being treated, ..we are being treated in the society, and today this kind of program makes them feel that they belong to the society.
“My advice to them is that they should not allow people to look down on them, they equal rights, the right that the male children have, the female children have thesame right. They should be bold and be beautiful in everything that they do.m,” she said.
