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Tag: girl-child

  • Abuse of the girl child: different shades, perpetrators and health implications

    Continued from last week

    For normal reproductive  life, a woman must have normal developmental milestones, which must necessarily begin in the girl child;  for an example, the first menstrual flow requires a body weight of 40kg or more. Though early menses may not be regular , it steadies as the girl child grows into maturity and in good health as defined earlier, so that  any deviations from an established normal pattern can be better understood and explained.  Lack of regularity developing within the normal reproductive age can then be used as a diagnostic aid . Children born into happy homes, with adequate nutrition tend to  have  the first menses occurring within  a range of  time period considered normal. They also tend to have less troublesome issues with menses compared with children who are obese, undernourished or malnourished.

    When  well nourished, stress free young cycling teenagers of the same age are kept together in the same apartment or  Hostel for some time, they tend to have menses coming about  the same time . Stress arising from physical, social or emotional trauma apart from being diabetogenic also places more cholesterol in the pathways for the biosynthesis of the female hormones, particularly estrogen. More estrogen than necessary at a particular time for the girl child is capable of evoking stimuli  that will force responses out of her which she may not have the capacity to control .  Stressful conditions  also have a way of weakening the immune system and reducing the ability of  the individual to fight infections. It is therefore more likely for the girl child in persistent situations of sexual abuse to die from infections  compared with older women facing similar challenges.

    Examine the policy that is currently in place in many of the Federal Government owned secondary schools where parents are not  informed that a child  is ill and on admission at the Sick Bay until the illness gets  beyond the capacity of the Medical team  employed by the School. One wonders if the relevant authorities have paused  to consider  the fact that some certain disease conditions do not give the patient  time to become ill ;that by the time it is finally understood that a disease or illness is beyond the professional competence of the managing  medical team an affected Child will have reached the point where her conditions are no longer reversible

    How did it all begin?  Why would any one imagine that a secondary school teenager who happens to know the symptoms and signs of early pregnancy will decide  to confide in the  Nurse  at the Sick bay in preference to her mother?

    In the  present arrangement of policies, rules and regulations,  most if not all the schools and colleges where our young girls are kept are  modified , glorified and regimented correction centres . In the  passion  to get the best out of these children and position them for better life, we have  failed to take into consideration, the  need to establish a routine  health check and  balance system that should be reviewed from time to time ,and in accordance with the School Health programme .

    Cases of child abuse occurring in schools and colleges remain untold until ten twenty and thirty years later, in some cases, victims die and are buried with their secrets

    By keeping them caged, with limited access to communication with their parents except visiting days, substantial periods of the life of the  growing and developing girl child are spent with people about whom the children know but very little.

    As the world  burns and conflicts spread like wild fire burning in the Harmattan period, the girl child is at the greatest risk with little or no room to negotiate herself out of conditions that are clearly unsafe and unfavourable for  health . Many will agree that when families are small, quality of life is better for the girl child for the simple reason that Mom and Dad will want to hold and to cherish .However ,even in polygamous families, every child wants to be loved and cherished ,to belong and appreciated, and out of sight is never out of mind.  Studies have shown that  whether  a family is polygamous or not, the girl child demonstrates unalloyed taciturnity, love and understanding. She sees her father in her  male teacher and her mother in her female teacher . This is the normal expectation. There are exceptions of course , but these are rare .  It is therefore natural that outside the family system, patterns of behaviour of the girl child can be used as an instrument to measure the degree of family cohesion available for the child to enjoy and vice versa . And so depending on the source of abuse,  an abused child is likely to grow up and become an abuser either in the family she will build or  the family she is born into.

    Under the conditions forced upon families by wars and conflicts, the girl child  within the families of internally displaced persons finds herself vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse even from members of the extended family.   Outside that, conditions that cause the girl child to lose one or both parents catapults the girl child into sudden poverty, with little or no capacity to escape physical abuse (including sex abuse) and negotiate for safe or safer sex

    A young woman took a nine year old  girl to the  Children emergency room of  a busy government hospital  crying effortlessly . She appeared exhausted  and barely able to stand  without support . Whereas the  young lady; later identified as  her Step Mom claimed she  fell down from  a tree  and fainted  , there  were scars  distributed asymmetrically on the  left  side of the body of this  girl .  The back regions of her arms and fore arms  showed  well marked healing stripes .  As soon as she was left alone  with the Nurses, she asked to be given something to eat .

    The situation just described is probably an example  of the physical form of child abuse .

    Long periods of separation from siblings ,mom and Dad  have their own independent effects on the girl child. Any forms of abuse by way of verbal, physical ,emotional and psychological insults serve to weaken the ability of the girl child to resist abnormal temptations, either internally or externally generated.  Compared with an adult of the same sex, the brain of the growing child is not as stereognostic. However, it is  likely to accommodate a mental diary of with a larger volume , to absorb and retain for longer time periods.

    As will have been known by many, to be in good health is not the absence of  infirmity or disease conditions, but a state of COMPLETE  physical , social and emotional well being.  Depending on the type, nature and duration, an abused child finds herself fighting to maintain emotional balance throughout life. If she grew up in an environment where she was persistently shouted down, and never allowed to express her self , she is likely to grow up timid and afraid of every move she makes.  On the other hand if she was forced to keep secrets as a result of incidents or activities forced on her, she is likely to grow up confused, with guilt, intra psychic conflicts and thought broadcasts . It is also important to note that depending on   particular circumstances, explosive types of behaviour, suicidal ideation and actual suicide are more likely to arise or develop in a girl child that has suffered  or continues to suffer abuse.

  • Abuse of the girl child: different shades, perpetrators and health implications

    Continued from last week

    For normal reproductive  life, a woman must have normal developmental milestones, which must necessarily begin in the girl child;  for an example, the first menstrual flow requires a body weight of 40kg or more. Though early menses may not be regular , it steadies as the girl child grows into maturity and in good health as defined earlier, so that  any deviations from an established normal pattern can be better understood and explained.  Lack of regularity developing within the normal reproductive age can then be used as a diagnostic aid . Children born into happy homes, with adequate nutrition tend to  have  the first menses occurring within  a range of  time period considered normal. They also tend to have less troublesome issues with menses compared with children who are obese, undernourished or malnourished.

    When  well nourished, stress free young cycling teenagers of the same age are kept together in the same apartment or  Hostel for some time, they tend to have menses coming about  the same time . Stress arising from physical, social or emotional trauma apart from being diabetogenic also places more cholesterol in the pathways for the biosynthesis of the female hormones, particularly estrogen. More estrogen than necessary at a particular time for the girl child is capable of evoking stimuli  that will force responses out of her which she may not have the capacity to control .  Stressful conditions  also have a way of weakening the immune system and reducing the ability of  the individual to fight infections. It is therefore more likely for the girl child in persistent situations of sexual abuse to die from infections  compared with older women facing similar challenges.

    Examine the policy that is currently in place in many of the Federal Government owned secondary schools where parents are not  informed that a child  is ill and on admission at the Sick Bay until the illness gets  beyond the capacity of the Medical team  employed by the School. One wonders if the relevant authorities have paused  to consider  the fact that some certain disease conditions do not give the patient  time to become ill ;that by the time it is finally understood that a disease or illness is beyond the professional competence of the managing  medical team an affected Child will have reached the point where her conditions are no longer reversible

    How did it all begin?  Why would any one imagine that a secondary school teenager who happens to know the symptoms and signs of early pregnancy will decide  to confide in the  Nurse  at the Sick bay in preference to her mother?

    In the  present arrangement of policies, rules and regulations,  most if not all the schools and colleges where our young girls are kept are  modified , glorified and regimented correction centres . In the  passion  to get the best out of these children and position them for better life, we have  failed to take into consideration, the  need to establish a routine  health check and  balance system that should be reviewed from time to time ,and in accordance with the School Health programme .

    Cases of child abuse occurring in schools and colleges remain untold until ten twenty and thirty years later, in some cases, victims die and are buried with their secrets

    By keeping them caged, with limited access to communication with their parents except visiting days, substantial periods of the life of the  growing and developing girl child are spent with people about whom the children know but very little.

    As the world  burns and conflicts spread like wild fire burning in the Harmattan period, the girl child is at the greatest risk with little or no room to negotiate herself out of conditions that are clearly unsafe and unfavourable for  health . Many will agree that when families are small, quality of life is better for the girl child for the simple reason that Mom and Dad will want to hold and to cherish .However ,even in polygamous families, every child wants to be loved and cherished ,to belong and appreciated, and out of sight is never out of mind.  Studies have shown that  whether  a family is polygamous or not, the girl child demonstrates unalloyed taciturnity, love and understanding. She sees her father in her  male teacher and her mother in her female teacher . This is the normal expectation. There are exceptions of course , but these are rare .  It is therefore natural that outside the family system, patterns of behaviour of the girl child can be used as an instrument to measure the degree of family cohesion available for the child to enjoy and vice versa . And so depending on the source of abuse,  an abused child is likely to grow up and become an abuser either in the family she will build or  the family she is born into.

    Under the conditions forced upon families by wars and conflicts, the girl child  within the families of internally displaced persons finds herself vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse even from members of the extended family.   Outside that, conditions that cause the girl child to lose one or both parents catapults the girl child into sudden poverty, with little or no capacity to escape physical abuse (including sex abuse) and negotiate for safe or safer sex

    A young woman took a nine year old  girl to the  Children emergency room of  a busy government hospital  crying effortlessly . She appeared exhausted  and barely able to stand  without support . Whereas the  young lady; later identified as  her Step Mom claimed she  fell down from  a tree  and fainted  , there  were scars  distributed asymmetrically on the  left  side of the body of this  girl .  The back regions of her arms and fore arms  showed  well marked healing stripes .  As soon as she was left alone  with the Nurses, she asked to be given something to eat .

    The situation just described is probably an example  of the physical form of child abuse .

    Long periods of separation from siblings ,mom and Dad  have their own independent effects on the girl child. Any forms of abuse by way of verbal, physical ,emotional and psychological insults serve to weaken the ability of the girl child to resist abnormal temptations, either internally or externally generated.  Compared with an adult of the same sex, the brain of the growing child is not as stereognostic. However, it is  likely to accommodate a mental diary of with a larger volume , to absorb and retain for longer time periods.

    As will have been known by many, to be in good health is not the absence of  infirmity or disease conditions, but a state of COMPLETE  physical , social and emotional well being.  Depending on the type, nature and duration, an abused child finds herself fighting to maintain emotional balance throughout life. If she grew up in an environment where she was persistently shouted down, and never allowed to express her self , she is likely to grow up timid and afraid of every move she makes.  On the other hand if she was forced to keep secrets as a result of incidents or activities forced on her, she is likely to grow up confused, with guilt, intra psychic conflicts and thought broadcasts . It is also important to note that depending on   particular circumstances, explosive types of behaviour, suicidal ideation and actual suicide are more likely to arise or develop in a girl child that has suffered  or continues to suffer abuse.

  • Abuse of the girl child: different shades, perpetrators and health implications

    Sixteen year old Omonsiegho(not her real name), an SS3 girl  in a mixed sex Boarding School was  asked to stand on her desk ; her offence? Not paying attention . For the rest of that class, the  punisher; a middle aged, unmarried ‘Geography Teacher’ ignored her pains ,suffering and tears as she shifted weight from one lower limb to the other , seeking any position that will reduce her pain and  give her some comfort . A few days later, Omonsiegho was called out to the front of her class and asked to sit on the floor .The rivulets of tears as she tried to express her innocence were made irrelevant by the relentless instructions and counter instructions shot at her to stand, sit, move away, and lie down .The old ‘angel and arch angel of Geography as he was often referred to, and  whose  selective notoriety the School Authorities seemed resigned to put up with was  at it again. The young girl went through emotional trauma she alone can truly describe, as she tried to make sense of it all . The questions on the minds of many of the boys and girls  who may have watched several episodes of this type of behaviour from the Geography teacher  may not be too difficult to imagine  ;  many of them would have liked  to know if  he would  do this to his own biological daughter if she did  whatever. As it turned out following investigations, the Geography teacher was in the habit of coming down hard on female students, and especially the bright and beautiful ones .It was his way of softening them up before launching attacks. He was  however  friendly with the boys and always ready to assist them ,even financially.

    If one might ask; is there something fundamentally different  between people who have willingly gone through  the God given  process  of reproducing themselves and those  who have not or are unwilling to do so? Considering that the human mind is the most complicated and unpredictable entity known to man, how do you tell which Classroom teacher is capable or incapable of doing what ,when it comes to  health of School  children and child abuse?

    Mr Geography teacher is using the persistent physical and emotional abuse of  Omonsiegho as a way of getting something he alone badly wants? How many other young girls have gone through similar experience? Can Omonsiegho find the peace of mind to read her books in the prevailing conditions?

    Child abuse comes in as many shades as can be imagined .  In majority of cases and for those cases involving sex, the perpetrators are not people you very readily suspect;

    Commonly  under continuous subordination, senior  students  may subject   junior others to various forms of abuse .

    Teachers at the top  may engage in all sorts of inappropriate behaviour if they find themselves in positions of absolute power ,where no one cares

    There have been  well documented cases of heads of religious organizations sexually abusing  daughters  and  their mothers among  their followers, doing so  for years without  any one daring to cry out about the  evil acts. Where such followers are regarded as mere numbers, physical abuse may take many forms  including excessive chores, whiplashing , shaking , pinching and kicking

    Cases involving  Moms  and Step Daughters have also been followed where  the girl child is starved  , placed on long periods of starvation diet or low quality diets for refusing to get involved in abnormal or  inappropriate sexual relationship with the woman she calls mother

    Uncles, Aunties , care takers and care givers who are deviant and yet see nothing wrong with their brains  have in several studies been found to  subject children kept in their care to different forms of abuse including those which place sexual health and reproductive career of the girl child in jeopardy.

    There  is indeed  a possibility no matter how remote, that  in those situations  where fathers are said to have  forced themselves on their daughters, they are not the biological or true parents of the girls involved. It is the opinion of  experts in DNA research that only women know the biological fathers of their kids, as most first born children do not belong to the men who claim them.

    When the cat is away , the mice play  without ceasing ;incestuous relationships are more likely to be common in polygamous and polyandrous relationships as well as those involving single parenthood where multiple partnering is the norm. In the study by this writer and late Dr George Chinyere Uzor, the researchers were surprised to observe that family heads were frequently in support and  at times pressed on to suggest it . The girl child in these settings  apart from the risk of growing up to be a disjointed  woman also suffers physical  and  other forms of abuse . If the language she understands is vulgar, crude and harsh, such will be her best way of expressing her self as she grows up with a character and an attitude. Whereas she sees nothing wrong in getting into quarrels and with the  free use of verbal invectives, accepting own faults and the use of words like ‘sorry’ may be strange to her. The researchers observed that religion,  level of education,  socioeconomic status  culture  and inability of Governments to give legal backing to the Child rights act were among the  important factors which influenced abuse of the  Nigerian girl child.

    It is  important to remind readers and stake holders in the educational sector particularly at the primary and  secondary school levels, something only very little about  how  the  strict rules and regulations in many of these schools and the ways and methods  they are applied place  majority of the female pupils and students  in these schools at very high risks of child abuse , including sexual forms of child abuse.  Unless the relevant authorities are constantly at alert and are able to maintain vigilance even during unguarded hours, loads of abuse can go on under the cover of darkness and with people least expected to be involved. Shame and pride will battle themselves within the abused child to prevent her from reporting any  such activities. Beyond that, there will always be  the fear  on the side of the abused child that she will end up being the one to get the blame . Moreover, she will have been warned  to expect  unpleasant consequences if she told any one any thing.  After all , students are usually not represented at meetings of Parents and Teachers’ Association.

    We should also realize that it is not only in Catholic schools that  young boys get abused by Priests and Holy Fathers for long periods of time without any one doing anything. Deviant patterns of behaviour are now being forced on children in secondary schools all over the globe By many standards, females have higher capacity for stress management and have demonstrated higher reserve with regards to practical coping device and ability to keep it inside, but girls mostly are at the receiving ends and would rather suffer in silence than tell .When a woman wants to tell, she is likely to tell it all, but when she chooses not to tell, she tells nothing to no one.  If similar abuses are being  perpetuated  by women of the same faith, no one will know until some one tells , which  as is the pattern with the males usually takes decades. What if routine psychotherapeutic checks were carried out in these schools, would it have helped to reduce  the  number of victims and the length of time the abuse lasted? We may never know . What must be emphasised is that  in  many of  the secondary schools and colleges in the world today, including my country, Nigeria,  there is need to  seriously sit back and  ask  if  some persons who have been entrusted with positions of responsibility  are not regularly taking advantage of some certain policies, regulations and rules meant to keep the girl child away from falling into the province of abnormal and dangerous  life style, to actually do more to cause more damage   in respect of her physical ,emotional and sexual health.

     

     

  • Women discuss Igbo unity, girl-child at summit

    Women discuss Igbo unity, girl-child at summit

    The Southeast has been lagging behind, especially in unity. The situation has been a source of worry to the men. Women are only bothered about issues concerning the women folk which they discuss at the famous August Meeting. But there is a new thinking among some women under the aegis of Prominent Igbo Daughters who believe they can help the men to develop the Igbo nation. OKODILI NDIDI reports that the group held a summit at Owerri where it decided to complement the efforts of the men.

    In the yesteryear, Igbo women at home and in the Diaspora waited for one year before they come together to deliberate on issues affecting them. This was usually during the famous August Meeting.

    However, some prominent Igbo women reasoned that it was not right to wait for a year before they gather and discuss issues affecting them. They also reasoned that it was time Igbo women complemented the efforts of the men in moving the Igbo nation forward; not merely discussing matters that affect the women folk only.

    It was against this background that some Igbo women, under the aegis of Prominent Igbo Daughters converged on Owerri, the Imo State capital, to deliberate on how to complement the efforts of the men to move the Igbo nation forward. The summit, they said, does not indicate that the annual August Meeting has come to a dead end.

    For instance, the cultural glamour and grandeur which usually were features of the annual August Meeting didn’t reduce by any inch; rather they became serious tools for social and political agenda-setting for the Igbo nation.

    This much came to the fore during the grand finale of the summit held at the Imo International Convention Centre (IICC) Owerri, the Imo State capital in November where a large number of successful and influential Igbo women both those in the country and in the Diaspora converged to brainstorm on the challenges confronting Ndigbo.

    Like their male counterpart, the women deliberated on how to rise above the challenges that had held the Igbo nation down and how to move forward as a people.

    Unlike what obtains in August Meeting which has been traditionally confined to villages and communities, and where a handful of women meet separately to discuss the peculiar challenges of their immediate environment, the summit by the Prominent Igbo Daughters comprised women from all walks of life who had the burning desire to help the men to develop the region. Women from the five states of the Southeast Zone came under one umbrella to discuss issues of common interest.

    Another significant feature of the summit, with the theme, “Looking at the Next Generation of Mothers”, was the leading role played by the wives of the Southeast Governors and the personalities that attended the summit.

    Among them were wife of Nigeria’s first Head of State, Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi, Senator Joy Emordi, former Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Josephine Anenih, Senator Nkechi Wogu, Vivian Okadigbo, wives of Governors of Abia and Enugu states Nkechi Ikpeazu and Monica Ugwuanyi respectively, among others.

    Beginning with a courtesy call on the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha at the Government House, the women outlined their vision to complement the efforts of the men by contributing their quota in moving the Igbo nation forward.

    The women noted that having identified disunity among the Igbo leaders as the major impediment to the progress of Ndigbo, they have resolved to use their positions as wives and mothers to unite Ndigbo.

    Speaking on behalf of the women, wife of the Imo State Governor and chief host, Nneoma Okorocha, said they were compelled to initiate the venture by the love for Ndigbo in particular and the country in general.

    According to her, the resolve to tackle the challenges of the girl-child as the next generation mother as encapsulated in the theme of the summit, is as a result of the fact that “once you get it right with the girl-child, the society gets right”.

    Continuing, she said: “Most of the challenges the society is experiencing are as a result of the failure of mothers to inculcate the right moral values in their children. There is near-total failure of parenting. If you have children and they all grow up to be successful and responsible citizens, it as a result of the efforts of the mother. Also when you have children and they turn out to be robbers, kidnappers, terrorists and assassins, it is as a result of the failure of the mother.

    ”We are propelled by the love for the Igbo nation to converge and brainstorm on the way forward. We are here because as Igbo women, we have resolved to go back to the drawing board to get it right and if we must get it right, we must get the girl-child right.

    “We have decided to be pillars of support to our men and not sources of discouragement, so that we can contribute our quota to the development of the Igbo nation. As mothers, we should take responsibilities in building a better society by building our homes.

    “At present, Igbo women have decided to stand up and take the bull by the horn and the day has finally come when the Igbo nation will sing a new song.”

    Chairman of the occasion and former Governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo, commended the women for taking steps to assist the men in making the Igbo nation better.

    He particularly commended the wives of the Southeast Governors for bringing Igbo women together under one umbrella to brainstorm on the challenges their region of origin is experiencing.

    Nwobodo also noted that the issue of the upbringing of the girl-child is critical to building a virile and successful nation.

    He said: “For Igbo women to gather to discuss the place of the girl-child is a confirmation of the fact that if there is any group that wants Nigeria to remain together, it is the Igbo.”

    Wife of Abia State Governor, Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu, in her goodwill message, assured that the Igbo women will continue to complement the efforts of the men in moving the Igbo nation forward.

    She praised the idea of gathering to discuss the challenges confronting the girl-child, stating that the development of the girl-child is a sure way to a better future.

    In a similar manner, wife of Enugu State Governor, Mrs. Monica Ugwuanyi, emphasised the need for mothers to take responsibility in the upbringing of their children, especially the girl-child.

    She noted that as future mothers and society builders, priority should be given to the upbringing of the girl-child.

    Addressing the women earlier during a visit at the Government House, Governor Okorocha described the gathering of the women as what the Igbo nation has been waiting for to move forward.

    He said: “We the men have tried to balance the equation but this may be what we need to unite the Igbo nation. There is nothing a man can do without a good woman by his side and where we the men have failed as a result of ego, the women should fix it.

    “It is time that our men began to recognise the place and role of women in nation-building. Nigeria is waiting for the Igbo and we must start to get it right and I see this gathering of the women as a necessary thing to do.”

    The event was also a cultural renaissance of a sort as participating states used the event as a showcase for their different cultural dances which held the audience spellbound.

  • Child marriage hinders girl child development – NGO

    The Centre for Learning and Educational Development Advocacy Africa (CLEDA-Africa), an NGO, has said that child marriage is one of the major hindrances to girl child development in the country.

    Mr Daniels Akpan, its Executive Director, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Tuesday that globally, one in seven adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 are currently married.

    “This is even worst in developing countries where one in three girls are married off before they turn 18 and more than 20,000 girls under the age of 18 give birth daily.

    “This increases the world population by seven million annually,’’ he said.

    Akpan also said that out of the more than seven billion population of the world, 1.1 billion are girls with talents, creativity and full of abilities.

    However, he pointed out that culture, religion, tradition, poverty and illiteracy, among other factors, had hindered and limited the full development of the girl child.

    As the world celebrates this year’s International Day of the Girl Child, the director called on relevant stakeholders and the global community to strengthen and support girl child progress in Kaduna State and the nation.

    According to him, girls are engine of national development and stress the need to promote girl child education in preparing them for a better future.

    “This is the best way to stand up for girls’ progress everywhere,’’ Akpan said.

    He disclosed that CLEDA Africa had in September trained 150 secondary school girls in Pampaida and Saulawa communities of Ikara Local Government Areas of Kaduna State on vocational skills.

    He said that the gesture was to empower the girls financially as part of efforts to encourage them to remain in school.

    Akpan called on the Federal and Kaduna State Governments to partner with CLEDA Africa to reach out to young girls and empower them with education and basic skills to live a productive life.

  • Air Force: Another fight for girl-child

    Air Force: Another fight for girl-child

     The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) played a major role in crippling the terrorist group Boko Haram by building schools designed for the girl-child. It has also launched a major campaign for a disadvantaged segment of the population, reports SEUN AKIOYE

    Inside the headquarters of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Abuja, the vision statement of the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar was boldly written. The statement reads:  “To re-position the NAF into a highly professional and disciplined force through capacity building initiatives for effective, efficient and timely employment of air power in response to Nigeria’s national security imperatives.”

    On the surface, it may look like one of those well-crafted mission statements which usually end up as empty statements, but for the man who is referred to simply as “chief”, the vision is worth every weight.

    One of the ways which the CAS is hoping to re-write history and fulfil his vision is through education not only of Air Force personnel-which is done through training- but also providing for the needs of the dependents of his men through provision of world-class educational facilities.

    One of such is the Air Force Girls’ Comprehensive School located at the NAF Base Abuja.  The NAF was not the original initiator of the school, but the Nigerian Air Force Officers Wives Association (NAFOWA) led by Hajia Hafsat  Abubakar, wife of the CAS. But the NAF took over the construction of the school after NAFOWA ran out of resources to complete it in 2013.

    In December 2015, the CAS directed that work should resume and in eight months, a world class infrastructure stood in the ruins of the abandoned structure. What was built was described by the Minister for Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan as a “21st century school.”  The sparkling new school boasts a mini stadium, dining hall, hostel, tennis court, fully equipped classrooms, a library and a clinic. There is a standby generator to provide electricity while the science, art and agriculture laboratories and four other classrooms are equipped with interactive white boards which enables the students to experience the three ways of learning: hear, see, feel.

    Educating the girl child

    The CAS did not bite his lips when he enumerated the importance of educating the girl child and why the NAF view it as one of its cardinal focus.” Our experience in fighting insurgency in the Northeast indicates the exploitation of the girl-child by insurgents due to low literacy level. At present, birth rate statistics show that 65 percent of births are girls. It is documented by most state Ministries of Education that the enrolment of girls in secondary schools is below 45 percent.

    “This statistic is further supported by the results of the West African Examination Council. For instance in 2011out of a total of 688,516 girls that sat for the examination, only 226,804 got 5 credits. Similarly in 2012, about 747,553 girls sat for the examination and only 310,822 were successful.”

    The CAS said this NAF resolved to establish the school as “our modest contribution to Mr. President’s efforts at enhancing girl-child education in Nigeria.” With the new school, the NAF now has two secondary schools dedicated to girl-child education with one in Jos and Abuja respectively. He added that the school will educate the hearts and minds of the girls that would pass through its gates.

    For the Minister of Education, the construction of the school was “humbling” also stressing that the ratio of girl child education to boys is 1:3 in some states. This is also reinforced by the extremism of Boko Haram and the risks associated with girl child education kept the female educational attainment perpetually low.

    After commissioning the school and a tour of the facilities was conducted, Dr. Yemi Esan said: “ I came here with some uncertainties but I am impressed, this school is directed towards the underprivileged to curt out of school syndrome, we encourage other arms of government to follow suit, this is a 21st century school.”

    Yemi- Esan would not be the only one to be impressed, the next day at the Air Force Base Kaduna where NAFOWA had rehabilitated a nursery school and added the NAFOWA Little Angels Primary School, the CAS was also left impressed.

    “I am overwhelmed,” he said when he was called to make a remark after the school had been commissioned by Hajia Aisha Buhari, the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, represented by the wife of Kaduna State Governor, Hajia Hadiza El-rufai.

    “Four years ago, I brought my daughter to the crèche here, but I am sure she cannot recognize her school again because of the transformation,” he said. Like the girls school, the NAFOWA Primary school was built to world standard with ample playing room for the children, a fully equipped library and computer centre, spacious and conducive atmosphere for learning, white black boards, fully equipped home economics room and a crèche with modern facilities.

    While the CAS may have focused on education for the dependents of personnel, the real driver of these projects is adding value to the society.” Adding value to the society is our core mandate, I strongly belief that adding value to the society is the best legacy we can bequeath to our children,” he said.

    But there is also a greater vision: thinking ahead.

    “We have recruited 2,400 personnel and with the increase, you must start thinking of infrastructure. Our actions are driven by the desire to add value to society and that is the right direction to go,” he said.

    There are many worries that come with such projects, will the infrastructure not a pointer to an exorbitant school fees.  Will the school be opened to children of civilians and how would the NAF maintain such a high standard facility, how much was expended into the project?

    The CAS has answers for all. The school will follow the usual NAF fees schedule without adding anything on, the school will be opened to civilians, the NAF has maintenance structure put in place and the schools are of high standard so will stand the test of time and the schools are built using direct labour from the NAF, thereby cutting costs and enhancing the skills of Air Force engineers.

     

  • Experts advise fathers on girl-child development

    What are the challenges parents face in raising the  girl-child in the 21st Century? How should the father guide his daughter from negative influences?

    Answers to this question formed the nub of discussions at the maiden edition of The Listening Father, a programme designed to foster emotional relationship between fathers and daughters.

    Over 30 young girls, between ages 10 and 16 years, and their fathers attended the event organised by GirlSaid Initiative, a non-governmental organisation. Held at the Public Affairs Section of the United States Consulate in Lagos, the six-hour event featured interactive sessions anchored by a psychologist and life coach, Lanre Olusola, and Publisher of Today’s Women, Adesuwa Onyenokwe.

    During sessions with the fathers, Olusola identified lack of control, absenteeism, inadequate time and distraction as challenges facing the 21st Century father.

    He said many parents shift the responsibility of bringing up their children to nannies, noting that children easily take up values picked from caregivers.

    He cautioned fathers that children will share their challenges with strangers when parents give them no attention.

    Olusola said: “The greatest challenge facing the 21st Century father is the fear of what becomes of their daughter in a fast changing world. Many parents have regarded Internet and social media as bad tools from which their children must be prevented. But, we must ask ourselves the right questions. What are the values that are relevant in this century?”

    Western influence on African culture, he said, do not pose problems to the upbringing of a girl-child, noting that the West culture came with some good influence that could help African fathers nurture children.

    Olusola advised parents to drop impracticable old values in training children, saying: “We will create a major disadvantage if we choose to bring children up with old values that cannot work in the 21st Century.”

    The young girls explained their challenges in getting their parents’ attention on issues.

    Onyenokwe advised them how they could get their parents’ attention, saying they should not tell their challenges to strangers.

    The NGO’s coordinator, Abosede Lewu, a Mandela Washington Fellow, said the essence of the event was to bridge the gap between parents and their children. She said the initiative would help busy fathers understand their children better.

  • NDDC boosts girl-child education in Niger Delta

    NDDC boosts girl-child education in Niger Delta

    The Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, shortly after assumption of office, initiated the Girls in Engineering, Mathematics and Science (GEMS) competition, to bridge the gaps that exist in gender-related issues and reposition the Niger Delta.

    The maiden competition started with rigorous elimination process, which began with 2,880 girls from Senior Secondary School (SSS) 1 and 2 in the nine states (Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Abia and Imo) of the crude oil and gas-rich region.

    From the first screening test, 1,110 girls were selected. From the 1,110 girls, 270 of them were selected at 30 girls per state.

    The girls progressed to the state finals, where 11 girls qualified from each state, leading to the regional finals (in the NDDC’s regions of Western, Central and Eastern), where 11 girls were selected from each of the three regions, totaling 33 and they exhibited various Science, Technology and Mathematics projects, which were thoroughly assessed by eminent scholars.

    Of the 33 girls who participated in the grand finale on April 6 at the Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, ten were selected for recognition, while each of the top five received awards, prizes and N5 million scholarships, among other benefits/gifts.

    The GEMS that made the top ten were Maryanne Ukachukwu (Abia), Ebi Agbodobiri (the only representative from Bayelsa), Esther Ademeta (Ondo), Deborah Doghor (Ondo), Grace Mbora Bassey (Cross River), Uzamere Nowe Edobor (Edo), Blessing James Jeremiah (Cross River), Edidiong Bassey Francis (Akwa Ibom), Amarachi Orjiugo (Rivers) and Ayomide Adeyeye (Ondo).

    One of the nine representatives of Ondo state, Ayomide Adeyeye, emerged the overall winner of the competition.

    Adeyeye went home with a trophy, the latest tablet computer for educational programmes, gold plaque, N200,000 cash and N5 million scholarship for her 5-year tertiary education at N1 million per annum, while her school would also have a Chemistry laboratory from NDDC.

    The first runner up (second position), Amarachi Orjiugo (Rivers) got cash of N100,000; N5 million scholarship, plaque and tablet computer, while the second runner up (third), Edidiong Bassey Francis (Akwa Ibom) got N50,000 cash, N5 million scholarship, plaque and tablet computer.

    The schools of the girls that came second and third would also get from NDDC, Physics and Biology laboratories respectively.

    The fourth position went to Blessing James Jeremiah (Cross River), while Grace Mbora Bassey (Cross River) had the fifth position. Each of the best five GEMS would benefit from the N5 million scholarships for their tertiary education, while each of the 33 girls would have mentors.

    All the directors of NDDC in Bayelsa State contributed N300,000, which was given to the only representative from the state (Ebi Agbodobiri) to motivate her for better performance in future competitions.

    The directors of the Federal Government’s intervention agency also made N500,000 available for the only girl, Esther Ademeta of Ondo State, whose project was on Mathematics, for thinking outside the box and being creative, thereby encouraging her to always put in her best, while Ondo won the award of the competition’s most supportive state.

    The overall winner (Ayomide Adeyeye), while responding on behalf of the 33 finalists, stated that she never thought her project could be adjudged the best, while giving God the glory and she lauded NDDC for the initiative.

    As the winners were celebrating with their parents, guardians, relatives, friends and well-wishers, while taking photographs in the beautifully-decorated Atlantic Hall of Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, the girls who did not receive any award, prize, recognition or scholarship started crying uncontrollably.

    It took the intervention of the Master of Ceremonies (MC), for the crying girls to be pacified. Adeyeye (overall winner) also pleaded with them to try and improve on their projects to emerge winners next time. It was indeed an emotional moment.

    It was obvious that the 33 finalists had begun to see the practicality of science, even at the young age, thereby becoming a foundation upon which they and other children of the Niger Delta, as well as the schools in the region would build their collective future.

    Two of the three assessors also addressed the finalists and persons in attendance on the criteria for selection, which they said included content, demonstration of brilliance and intellect, interest in the project, confidence, practical relevance of project to the society, clear understanding of the project, use of technology and potential for further studies, among others.

    Grand finale of the GEMS competition was attended by a former Deputy Governor of Rivers state, Sir Gabriel Toby, and his wife, as well as a member of the Rivers House of Assembly, Chief Victoria Nyeche, who represents Port Harcourt Constituency One and other eminent personalities.

    Mrs. Semenitari, on April 4, at the Conference Room of the NDDC’s corporate headquarters on Aba Road, Port Harcourt, addressed a news conference, in company with other directors and top officials of the commission, ahead of the April 6 grand finale of the GEMS competition.

    She revealed at the media event that the Federal Government’s intervention agency voted N113, 169,500.00 for the GEMS initiative, which she said was borne out of NDDC’s desire, social commitment and responsibility, in the earnest efforts to facilitate the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region.

    At the grand finale of the GEMS competition, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari was placing high premium on science and technology, in order to ensure sustainable development in Nigeria and diversification of the nation’s economy.

    Onu was represented by the Director, Gender Desk of the federal ministry, Dr. Nnenna Okoronkwo.

    The acting managing director of NDDC, in her welcome address at the GEMS’ grand finale, urged the nine governors of states in the Niger Delta to partner with the Federal Government’s intervention agency on science and technology.

    Mrs. Semenitari stated that the greatness and power of countries were interrelated, in no small measure; with the top priority they accord science and technology.

  • Evil scripts of girl-child abductions

    SIR: What befell Nigeria as a result of the barbaric abduction of 14-year-old Ese Oruru to Kano by Yunusa Dahiru has further confirmed the notion that those in privileged positions of authority lack empathy. Their conspiracy of silence and nonchalant attitude even when the family concerned made frantic efforts to secure the release of their daughter is synonymous with erecting social, political and religious fences which was too high for the hapless Orurus to surmount. If Ese can be pregnant under eight months, let us be realistic, with two years down the line, the Chibok abductees who left as girls in 2014 must be mothers by now! This is the sad reality that we face as a nation which bends the law for politics and religion; the two subtle evils regularly deployed to under-develop and divide us.

    Yunusa obviously understood his reasons for taking the actions. It was scripted and acted out very well. He was close to the family and still understood their routines even when he fell out of favour with Ese’s Mother. Working to answers, Yunusa sold his economic empowerment tool (tricycle), hypnotized/convinced/manipulated Ese and ran to Kano where he knew he would be welcomed as a victor! Why did he not marry her in Bayelsa if it was love-based? Kano is a safe-zone since the Child Rights Acts is not domesticated there.

    The treatment meted out to the Orurus in Kano was less dignifying. It portrayed a system of injustice against the powerless and unconnected. More so, the agencies of government saddled with the responsibilities of protecting lives and properties became handicapped. The Emir of Kano and Inspector General of Police tried unsuccessfully to use techniques of neutralization to show they were responsive to Ese’s plight. The state has lost its capacity when the IGP had to wait for the return of an Emir from Umrah to free a Nigerian in bondage. The Emir claimed he only knew Ese was yet to be released when he was contacted by foreign media! Nigerian big men are good offshore not onshore. They are more responsive to foreign media outfits.

    Yunusa is already arraigned in court and charged for abduction, illicit sex, coercion and sexual exploitation. This must be well prosecuted. All co-conspirators must be legally sanctioned. Otherwise, we would be institutionalizing a social order in which crime is the lower-class activity that is displeasing to the upper class and their cronies. Those who are to protect the vulnerable in our society are becoming collaborators with criminals; this is dangerous as it may lead to the rise of insurgent citizenship. Let those saying it is a tradition/culture in the North show me the daughter of a rich man that had been abducted and forcefully married as done to Ese!

    Winston Churchill may not be wrong after all when he said that “rules are made for the obedience of the fools and the guidance of wise men”. We must speak against the Taliban treatment of the girl child. Let those in forceful child marriage speak against this evil. On a daily basis, criminal scripts of kidnapping, abduction, child marriage, and rape against the girl-child is written and acted out. It is becoming an organized crime. Yet, we make a mess of victims of these evil scripts by the way our criminal justice system is designed. Ese and her family deserve justice and they must get it.

     

    • Dr Oludayo Tade,

    Ibadan.

  • Tambuwal committed to girl-child education

    SOKOTO State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal on Tuesday said his administration’s focus on the education sector is holistic, especially for the girl-child in the state.

    Tambuwal said he would ensure girls access quality education to make their lives meaningful.

    The Governor spoke in Sokoto through the Commissioner of Science and Technology, Alhaji Nasiru Zarumai, at a conference on inclusive education in Northern Nigeria organised by the British Council in collaboration with the Sokoto State Ministry of Education.

    “The government is fully determined to ensure improvement in the education sector, especially to girls that are left behind in the state.

    “This will improve maternal health of women and address the level of death rate in the sector.

    Tambuwal thanked the British Council for organising the programme in the state and appealed for collaborations to improve the education sector not only in Sokoto but across the country.

    The Commissioner, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Dr. Jabbi Kilgore, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Mainasara Ahmad, said inclusive education is an attempt to bring children of school-age to learn together irrespective of their abilities.

    “The programme, if adequately implemented, would support the development of individual strengths and gifts, work on individual goal while with other children in the classroom.

    “This will, however, involve parents’ participation in the education of their children; foster a culture of respect and belonging among children, developing friendship among children and appreciation of diversity and inclusion in the community,” he said.

    Vice-Chancellor, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Prof Abdullahi Zuru appreciated the British Council for the initiative of opening up neighbourhood schools to all children.

    Zuru, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Mansur Ibrahim, said: “This initiative is a wonderful one which will surely support the children to learn, contribute and partake in all activities of the schools as equals.”