Follow Us on Google
From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
Wife of Kebbi State Governor,Hajiya Zainab Nasir Idris,Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) Women Committee Northwest zone and Chief Executive Officer of Demaz Media Ltd,Alhaji Garba Hamisu Zuru,have solicited for the support and scholarships for girls -child education in the Zone to bridge up education backward in the area.
They stated this at the 2023 Northwest zonal conference of Chairpersons,Secretaries from the 7 States of the zone held in Birnin Kebbi on the theme: ‘”barriers to women and girl child education in Northern Nigeria”.
Kebbi State Governor’s wife,Hajiya Zainab Nasir Idris, represented by the Wife of the Deputy Governor,Hajiya Maryam Umar Tafida, noted that the theme of the conference came at the right time when the state Government have prioritizing girl -child education in the state.
Idris who identified barriers limiting girls -child education in the zone to GBV, harassment, poverty, lack of finance by the parents, said,many young girls have no option than to drop out of schools when they couldn’t overcome these barriers.
“Additionally,lack of finance and resources greatly affects girls, limiting their access to quality education. Even in area where parents do not have to pay school fees,it can be difficult to cope with the cost of transportation”.
Idris,who commended the NLC women wing for the programme, said ,the office of the Governor’s wife in collaboration with AGILE,the Ministry of Education are addressing some of these barriers.
She added that,to overcome the barriers,there would be requirements of comprehensive approach involving changes in societal attitudes ,policy reform and targeted interventions to create an inclusive and supportive education environment for young women and girls in the Northern Nigeria.
In her remark, North West Zonal Coordinator of the NLC Chairperson Women Committee, Comrade Martha Haruna Banki, disclosed that the women wing have been able to engage in advocates for women rights,activism against Gender Based Violence, end to raping of girls and boys, encouraging girls child education and training of girls.
She commended the the Kebbi State Governor and his wife for supporting NLC especially the women wing in the state stressed that since 15 years existence of Chairperson women Committee of NLC,Kebbi State was the first state to host the conference in the Northwest.
Earlier,the Kebbi State Chairperson,Comrade Hadiza Abubakar Ribah commended the State Governor, Dr Nasir Idris to agree to hold the conference in the state.
According to her, “no doubt ,this had boosted the moral of the women Committee and encouraged them to continue to support the present administration in it drive for the women empowerment and girl child education campaign in the state.
“Like Oliver Twist,we will always ask for more. We are appealing to the State Government to provide the women Committee with a vehicle to ease it movement and activities within and outside the State”.
The guest Speaker at the conference,Alhaji Garba Hamisu Zuru,Chief Executive Officer,Demaz Media Ltd, identified insecurity, inadequate funding,pack of political will,poverty, unqualified teachers, inability to implement policies, cultural influence, sexual violence and abuse, economic factors, inadequate infrastructure among impeding factors responsible for education backward in the Northern states.
He said: “Governments at all levels should fund education of the girl child and provide scholarships and grants for her. This is because if the girl child is well educated,she will have chances of contributing to the nation.
“There is need for attitudinal change,a re-orientation of societal and parental values towards the education of girls would be necessary as there is a negative conception of perceiving girls’education as worthless or valueless.
“Earlier marriage especially in the Northern part of Nigeria should be outlawed and parents should be educated about the benefits of later marriage. Child labour,rape,female genital mutilation and other forms of child abuse should be abolished.
“The government should not just enact policies,but there should be strong enforcement of these laws and the violators should be severely punished.”
