As member states of the United Nations across the globe celebrate the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child, the need for critical stakeholders in the society and governments at all levels to adequately provide, empower, protect and support the girls child to inclusive, accessible, safe and affordable quality education so as to realize their full potentials has been brought to the fore .
Various stakeholders including the Executive Director , Women, Girls and Family Empowerment, Mrs Chizopiyem Tessy Okehebunor of Okehebunor Foundation , Hon. Obi Chief Chinwe Monu-Oduah of Monu Olisah Foundation, Executive Director of Afro Centre for Development Peace and Justice, Amb. Augusta Keneboh, Aid the Clan Child Initiative, PACODEC, CSACEFA, NAPPS Delta State and other partners stated this during mentors and mentees workshop, held at the Petroleum Training Institute, Warri to mark this year’s International Day of the girl child with theme :The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead-Girls on the Frontline of Crisis.
Speaking at the event, the keynote speaker, Chizopiyem Tessy Okehebunor during her presentation explained that the girl child deserved to know their rights, be confident and pursue their dreams with the support from their parents and society at large.
Okehebunor said that the essence of the workshop was to effectively equip the girl child with the 21st century opportunities, skills and competences required to bridge the gaps, break barriers and achieve equality in learning.
In her presentation, the Executive Director of Afro Center for Development, Peace and Justice, Amb. Augusta Keneboh emphasized that the theme of the celebration was Girl I Am,The Change I Lead, stressing that there was need for urgent action and persistent hope driven by power of girls voices to lead change for the future especially in Nigeria and Africa Region.
Keneboh highlighted some of the recommendations to the government which includes empowerment for the girls child with access to teachers, training on gender responsive pedagogy, increase on education budgetary allocation, access to water, sanitation and hygiene services in schools.
She said that roles and responsibilities should be given to the child without discrimination or stigmatization and called for effective implementation of the Child Right Law, provision of safe space system and address other challenges confronting the girl child such as early child marriages, rapes, drug abuse, child trafficking,
According to Keneboh, other issues the girl child were exposed to include female genital mutilation, parent negligence in offering their girl child to serve as house helps without proper planning of the girl education, peer pressure influence by the male folk, “yahoo Boys”, and lack of access to conducive learning environment, especially in rural areas.
Earlier, the Chairman of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) , Mrs Precious Nwanne Young thanked the partners for this year’s commemoration with the association and assured that the proprietors would take the lessons learned and the benefits of their various schools .
Still on the discussion, Hon.Obi Chinwe Oduah Esq ,Founder of Monu Olisa Foundation appealed to organizations to support in tackling the drug abuse menace and mentality of “school na scam” syndrome which she affirmed had become a slogan that had eaten deep into school aged children, particularly some population of boys not going to school in Nigeria.
In a discussion session, students representatives spoke on the theme, rendered their advice and highlighted the importance of the girl child education and empowerment.
They called on the government and well meaning Nigerians to join voices and advocate for quality education for the girl child, support and build friendship, unlock their potentials and learning without fear in areas where there is conflicts, wars, internally displaced issues and natural disasters occurrences.
A representative of the boys in his address, lauded the girl child for her strength, intelligence and resilience they showed everyday , emphasizing that with determination they could surmount their challenges and become the girl child that would lead.
The panelists from NAPPS shared experiences, contributions and observed that the girl child was a female child below the age of 18 years, adding that inadequate access to quality education and health care delivery had remained some of the critical challenges facing the girl child , especially those with disabilities in any society.
The event featured presentation of International Day of Girl Child post cards, certificates of sponsorship to children across the 25 Local Government Areas of Delta State by Okehebunor Foundation and partners.
By Magnus Emuji
