Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, declared at a United Nations (UN) high-level meeting commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 4th World Conference on Women, that Nigeria is witnessing an increase in girls’ enrolment and retention in schools.
In a video message to the virtual meeting convened by President of the UN General Assembly 75th session, Volkan Bozkir, in New York, Buhari attributed the success to the implementation of the Universal Basic Education Programme, Girl Education Project and Safe School Initiatives to the increase.
A statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, quoted Buhari as informing the gathering in which Head of States and Government participated that: “Our government is vigorously implementing the Universal Basic Education Programme, which enhances girl-child education at the grassroots. Furthermore, the Girl Education Project has contributed to the marked increase in girls’ enrolment and retention in schools as well as guaranteed full productive capacity for future generations of women.
“To ensure the security of school children, especially girls in the North-East of Nigeria, we have ratified the ‘Safe School Declaration’ and begun the implementation of our Safe School Initiatives across the country.”
The President noted with satisfaction that through the safe school programmes, his administration had ensured improved security through the provision of necessary learning materials for educational institutions.
On combating gender-based violence, the President said that awareness on a sex offenders register was on-going to discourage and better manage cases of violence against women.
“We are also expanding existing temporary shelters and building new ones in locations where they do not exist, to cater for victims of abuse and provide them with needed rehabilitation. In our quest to address the menace of trafficking of our women and girls, Nigeria is working in close collaboration with relevant partners, to rescue, rehabilitate and re-settle rescued victims of trafficking,” he said.
The president urged member states to develop additional strategies to improve the quality of life for women and girls, pledging that Nigeria would redouble efforts to improve access to productive resources for women and girls as well as continue to ensure the protection of their fundamental rights.