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Tag: girl-child

  • ‘Girl-child just as good’

    ‘Girl-child just as good’

    In Ebonyi State, the wife of the governor, Mrs Rachel Umahi, has taken the campaign for the girl-child to local governments, telling parents to give equal opportunity to their children – no matter their gender. OGOCHUKWU ANIOKE reports.

    The is fighting to correct the enduring error that girls are simply made for marriage. No, shouts the wife of Ebonyi State governor, Mrs Rachel Umahi. Whether girl or boy, both can rise to the peak of their careers, and both can help shape or reshape their world.

    That was the message she took to Ivo Local Government Area of the state where she urged the people to give equal opportunity to their children no matter their gender.

    She said one of the reasons for the slow pace of development in the country was the preference of parents to educate their male children over their girls.

    •The health centre built by Ebonyi SDG/CGS office
    •The health centre built by Ebonyi SDG/CGS office

    Mrs Umahi spoke at Akaeze Development Centre in Ivo LGA where she inaugurated the MDG/CGS Community Development Committee for the area.

    She also commissioned a classroom block at Mgbede Community Primary School and a health centre built by the Ebonyi State Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) office under the leadership of Dr Ngozi Obichukwu, Focal Person of Ebonyi SDG in conjunction with the state government.

    She said the SDG projects are in line with the objectives of her family support project, pledging to continue partnering with the programme.

    She said: “This notion that women are only good for childbearing is wrong. Women these days are achieving a lot in various fields of endeavour like their male counterparts”.

    “If you train a woman you develop the nation because women are the backbone of the society. If I was not educated, the governor probably wouldn’t have married me. Wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Muhammadu Buari is also educated and she is doing well.”

    On the SDG/CGS programme, she said, “The inauguration of the community development committee members today…signifies the commitment of the state government in ensuring the provision of basic amenities for the well-being of our rural dwellers.

    “The emphasis being made is for the total reduction of maternal and infant deaths, elimination of diseases, and sensitisation of the rural populace on the need to patronise the health care facilities in their communities”.

    She also reiterated the commitment of the state government to the enhancement of the wellbeing of the less privileged, especially children.

    “This would be vigorously pursued under the auspices of my pet project, the Family Support and Upliftment Programme through its various welfare oriented programmers for the women, youths and children”.

    Mrs Umahi also urged the committee members to be dedicated to the assignment for the good of the rural dwellers.

    Addressing nursing mothers and women gathered to receive her, Mrs Umahi urged them to ensure the education of every girl-child in the community and the state.

    She also urged them to ensure they register every new born child so that the state and federal government can utilise the data and plan adequately for the entire populace.

    She said: “The child rights law was passed in 2006 in Ebonyi State and under this law it is the right of every Ebonyi child to be educated. Therefore, enrol your child in school as early child education is very important. We must achieve 100 per cent girl-child education within the shortest possible time”.

    “Please register the birth of every child in Ebonyi State, so that we can plan for our children educationally, health-wise, their general wellbeing, etc”.

    Mrs Umahi also distributed cartons of milk to the nursing mothers in the community which she noted was donated by wife of the president, Hajia Aisha Muhammadu Buhari in her quest to promote maternal and child health.

    Earlier, the SDG focal person, Mrs Ngozi Obichukwu said the hospital will help in the fight against quackery, maternal, child and infant mortality and help in treatment of diseases like cholera etc which are rampant in the state.

    She said the health centre is adequately staffed and stocked with drugs to cater for the health needs of the people.

    The Focal Person, urged the people to take advantage of the facility for their health needs.

    She thanked the state government ofr its support to the SDG/CGS programme in the state a partnership she promised will see more of such programmes continue to be rolled out in the state.

    In a goodwill message, the Zonal Technical Director of the SDG, South East, Mr Okechukwu Chukwuemeka commended Go Dave Umahi for being the first governor to appoint a Focal Person for the SDG/CGS.

  • Girl-child as endangered specie

    SIR: Few days ago at a crowded market in Damaturu, the capital city of Yobe State, North Eastern Nigeria, a 10- year- old girl blew up herself, killing over 15 people and injuring several others. This occurred on the heels of the bombing in Biu, Borno State which was also perpetrated by a woman.

    Wrought by discrimination and bias, the society, especially in the third world, has dealt the girl-child a rough blow even before birth.  In India, for instance, the country accounts for the termination of about 10 million female foetuses over the past 20 years while female infants are still found dumped in dump sites in large numbers. In Nigeria, the story is not different as women continue to endure all sorts of humiliations for giving birth to girls- the so-called weaker sex. It is the belief that female children drop the family names for their marital names, thereby terminating their ancestral lineage. In her journey through life, the girl- child undergoes a lot of harrowing experiences ranging from sexual harassment to early marriage and low level of schooling. Others include but not limited to exposure to violence, HIV infection, maternal death and vesico-vaginal fistula.

    It has been more than a year now that over 200 girls were abducted from their hostel at the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, an event that has remained indelible in the minds of parents and empathizers alike. The drama that unfolded after the dastardly act made Nigeria a laughing stock among comity of nations. Till date the girls are still in captivity save some of them that were bold enough to flee from their abductors.

    Although child marriage is against the law in many countries including Nigeria as international treaties forbid the practice, it is estimated that over 51 million girls are forced into early marriages yearly worldwide.  Quite often, in most African countries, parents of child brides are driven by factors such as pressure to conform to age old traditions like preservation of chastity and economic considerations to give out their young daughters in marriage. It is not uncommon also in poor developing countries, for poverty-stricken parents to settle debts by offering their underage girls as payments. And as a result of the age gap existing between the child brides and their spouses, they are often exposed to domestic violence and other forms of abuses.

    Invariably, these early marriages deny girls the opportunity for quality education in addition to depriving them of their childhood. Among the more than 100 million children not in school, approximately 40% are girls. In Nigeria, women and girls constitute 60% of the illiterate population. Also, most young wives are burdened by growing up responsibilities, household chores, rearing of children, and consequently do not get a chance to interact with their peers or carry on friendships outside the household. This put them in a state of complete dependency on their husbands.

    Equally, child brides often suffer from Vesico- vaginal fistula, a medical condition where there is an opening between the uterus and the bladder because the pelvic bones do not have sufficient time to develop before getting pregnant. This often leads to abandonment or divorce by their husbands and ostracization by their communities as urine continuously leak from their bladders, leading to offensive odour oozing out from the victims’ bodies.

    Female Genital Mutilation is another heinous infringement on the rights of the female gender. It is usually carried out on young girls between infancy and the age of 15, most commonly before puberty starts. The procedure is traditionally carried out by a woman with no medical training.

    Today, of all girls and women’s fears, that of being raped is the darkest.  At least one in three girls and women worldwide has been beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime. Sexual violence is the abuse of women’s or girls’ bodily integrity and this includes incest, indecent assault of young girls, rape, sexual harassment and child pornography. Incest which had hitherto been an abomination in the olden days Africa is now common as even fathers these days sexually abuse their young daughters.

    Therefore, it is essential that all hands be on deck to make sure that the girl child dwells in a world where, from childhood, adolescence to womanhood, she is educated, acquires essential life skills and employment thus fulfilling her leadership potential and becoming an asset and inspiration to her family, community and the world at large. Also, appropriate legislations on the protection of the girl child should be put in place and strictly adhered to and punitive measures taken against those found violating these laws. The time to act is now!

     

    • Bilkis Bakare

    Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

  • Parents urged to monitor use of social media by children

    Parents urged to monitor use of social media by children

    The Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN) on Monday advised parents to monitor the use of the social media by children to prevent them from being exposed to immorality.

    The National President of MWAN, Dr Valerie Obot, gave the advice while speaking at the association’s 5th National Executive Council meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers.

    Obot, who spoke on the theme: `Effective Parenting of Children: The case of the Girl-Child said the failure of parents to monitor their female children’s access to and activities on the social media could lead to moral decadence among such children.

    “If you look at Nigeria in particular today, you will see that there is a lot of decadence in the society.

    “You will see that a lot of girls have turned to suicide bombers.

    “If the home is the first source of livelihood for a child to grow, then we must begin to train them (children) in order for us to have a good society tomorrow.

    “You are aware of all the challenges that the girl-child is passing through. So, our particular focus is a case for the girl-child because the girls are as good as the boys.

    “If you have a girl, you should parent your girl well. Let her know that she can be a leader and achieve whatever she would like to achieve, then you will see our girls not dropping out of school, but reaching their heights.“

    Obot said the association inaugurated a REACH-G programme recently with a focus on promoting empowerment, reproductive rights, education and access to adequate healthcare for the girl-child.

    She said the association was working hard to help reduce by 25 per cent the country’s annual maternal, infant and child deaths, which the United Nations rated the highest in sub-Saharan
    Africa.

    The national president said, “Apart from looking at the girls, we are also educating women by building capacity for primary healthcare workers to know when to refer pregnant women to hospitals for expatriate management.

    “We are also teaching women about reproductive health and giving them health information and services in order to stop the current high maternal mortality which results mainly from pregnancy.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the association released an eight-point communiqué that urged parents to establish communication channels between them and their children.

    The communiqué also advised parents to protect their children always and provide them with the relevant tools that would help, especially the girl-child, become effective leaders in future.

    It condemned the assault on female medical doctors in the course of their duty.

  • Why Nigeria’s future is tied to the girl-child

    The quest for women’s advancement in Nigeria can only begin with a closer look at the prospects of the girl-child with regards to her worth in society. To  underscore its importance, the status of the girl-child was one of the critical issues discussed at the 4th United Nations conference on women, Beijing in 1995 with over 186 countries in attendance, and after which nine strategic objectives were outlined to galvanise governments to uphold the rights of the girl-child and ensure her protection.

    It may seem trite to say every woman was once a girl-child and that every girl-child is a potential woman and mother. But these assertions take on added significance when   their place in society is considered. Every great woman celebrated today was once a girl-child who had access to education that qualitatively shaped her transition from childhood to adulthood; from  obscurity to prominence and from days of small beginnings to a future of great accomplishments. Hence, concealed in every girl-child is a potential Mother Teresa, a future Margaret Ekpo, a possible Fumilayo Kuti, a Gambo Sawaba.

    If education is indeed a key determinant of favourable outcomes in life and the pathway for a girl-child to become self-actualized as a woman; a national asset and a raiser of future nation builders, then girl-child education in Nigeria deserves priority attention. Indeed surveys have shown that educated girls become better mothers and educated mothers insist on their girl children being educated which implies more girls going to school and the progression continues towards a more gender compliant system.

    In spite of the strategic role the girl-child plays in the development of a nation, and the transforming impact that education has in the empowerment of the girl-child, United Nations statistics show that a vast percentage of them either do not go to school at all, or drop out at a certain level due to adversities like child-marriage, child-labour and trafficking, terrorism and sexual exploitation. Indeed the girl-child has continued to confront enormous challenges militating against her educational progress.

    According to a 2014 UNICEF report, Nigeria has 10.5 million children out of school,  the highest number in the world with about 60 per cent of those children being girls. It also stated that “almost one of three primary age children is out of school, and roughly one of four junior secondary age children is out of school.” What this implies is that the Nigerian girl-child is one of the most disadvantaged in the world suffering from neglect in all its ramifications especially in the northern part of Nigeria.

    It was in view of such challenges that the convention on the rights of the child was framed in 1989, which gives every child irrespective of gender, a right to education. Furthermore, the United Nations designated October 11annually as International Day of the Girl Child and  which was first observed globally in October  2012. The objective of this day is for everyone to reflect on the dwindling prospects of the girl-child and her overwhelming but surmountable  challenges. It is designed to provoke global interventions  at all levels and to protect every girl child regardless of their geographical location.  Nigeria is marching in lockstep with the rest of the globe. She is a signatory to that UN convention on the Rights of the Child since 1999, and is also a signatory to the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. But there is clear need for more concerted action regarding the protection of the rights of the girl child in Nigeria.

    In response to the growing challenges of the girl child in Nigeria, and to commemorate this year’s United Nations International Day for the Girl Child, the reinvigorated National Centre for Women Development under the leadership of Lady Onyeka Onwenu is leading the charge. Under the inspiration of the First Lady, Patience Jonathan and in collaboration with an NGO, Friends Africa, the centre is convening a 2 -day Women and Girls summit with the theme: Reinforcing the Agenda for Girl Child Education on October 13-14 and is expected to witness a convergence of diverse key stakeholders in girl child education.

    According to the First Lady, “educating the girl-child is educating a nation”and“access to education is a fundamental human right, whether a child is physically challenged or disadvantaged.” Indeed, educating the girl-child is one of the most important investments any country can make for its future. It empowers girl-children and women with the ability to insist on their rights, and become more profitably integrated into the society.

    Lady Onwenu  visualizesthe  Women and Girls Summit as a “game changer” and designed to midwife concrete changes in the society. On a television programme recently, she spoke of the brazen neglect of the girl-child in Nigeria over the years and said this was why the summit would not be the usual talkshop which often masquerade as action but would have  a concrete and sustained follow up plan of action that will be meticulously implemented to tackle identified issues head-on. This she said is  in a bid to reposition the girl-child as a national asset beginning with  free access to quality education.

    If such an  outcome is realised, then the convocation of the women and girls summit will be a true game changer and coming at a time when the fiendish threat of Boko Haram to the dignity and self-actualization of women occupies centre stage.

     

    . Archibong is an Abuja-based public analyst.

  • ‘Girl-child education key for social change’

    WOMEN’s education can be used to inspire, Acting Director of the Women Studies and Development Centre, Adekunle Ajasin University, Dr N. Duyilemi, has said.

    She was addressing female students on the topic: “Evolution of the girl child,” during a leadership seminar held at the students’ Relaxation Centre.

    Dr Duyilemi said: “Women can be empowered through education and when you educate a woman, she will, in turn, be able to educate the generation to come.”

    Advising female students of the institution to pursue self-empowerment, she added: “Today’s world is no longer a man’s world and that is why we want those of you in higher institution to be empowered to take up key leadership positions in the country.”

    Dr Duyilemi encouraged students to have good role models, shun indecent dressing, report sexual harassment from the staff and be prudent with their resources, saying, “If anybody among the staff is forcing you to do what you don’t want to do, the offices of the Women Studies and Development Centre and Students’ Affairs are open to you.”

  • Ensure girl-child education, Zuriel urges leaders

    Ensure girl-child education, Zuriel urges leaders

    Nigerian-American child prodigy, Zuriel Oduwole has urged female leaders to intensify efforts towards girl-child education.

    She made the call at the First Ladies’ Colloquy on Girl-child Education ‘Practical & Simple Solutions, one-village at a time’ which she hosted in Lagos last Saturday.

    “I am not always happy seeing children out of school; it is a signpost to poverty and bleak future. We need involvement of first Ladies, mothers, School owners and all change-agents to ensure that the girl-child is allowed to have quality education and acquire skills that would make her a wholesome person to herself and the nation at large,” Oduwole stated.

    She illustrated her vision for girl-child education with a mini-documentary on the role of technology in educating children around the world like she and her sister received their own education.

    Participants at the event included select student representatives from Pampers Private school, Corona, Greensprings, Halifield and other schools.

    The First Lady of Tanzania, Mr  Salma Kikwete represented by the Ambassador of Tanzania to Nigeria, Mr. Daniel Ole Njoolay called all African leaders to support Zuriel’s genuine concern for the development of the continent  and particularly the girl-child education campaign.

    The First Lady of Lagos State, Dame Abimbola Fashola also advocated for equal education of both girls and boys.

    “What I advocate is that we should not concentrate mainly on our girl children and forget about the male children because then we would have another problem to solve,” she noted.

    Heritage Bank’s Managing Director, Mr. Ifie Sekibo represented by an Executive director of the Bank –  Mr. Robert Mbonu, commended Zuriel’s impressive exploits in Nigeria and across the globe.

    He stated that the bank was committed to children having financial responsibilities.

    “Heritage Bank is built on three platforms; to create wealth, to preserve wealth and to transfer wealth across generations. In line with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s financial inclusion strategy, we have adopted some schools. The idea is to ensure financial responsibilities in our children. We want them to learn basic skills of money management,” Mbonu said.

    Mrs. Tokunbo Durosaro, Director, Oando Foundation, also applauded Zuriel for her efforts and appealed to private organisations to help develop the nation’s  educational  system.

    She saw a clear parallel in what Zuriel was doing, and the efforts of Oando Foundation, noting how far and how much one young girl has done, and challenging the corporate community to do even much more.

    The events sponsors included Eko Hotels, Coscharis BMW, Ethiopian Airlines, Heritage Bank, House of Tara, KSquare, Pan African University, Four Points By Sheraton, HERTZ, and The Nations Newspapers.

     

  • Boost for girl-child education

    Boost for girl-child education

    Women’s problems seem to begin from infancy. Either that parents, in line with societal requirement, prefer boys to ensure continuity in the lineage, or they believe more on his education to the detriment of the girl child. This places her at a disadvantage even up to adulthood.

    Gender activists have always regarded this as discrimination against the women folk and have said women should be empowered through education.

    Crusaders for women empowerment maintain that the objective of making women realise their potential could be achieved only through genuine commitment to the education of the girl child.

    As a result of this, some school proprietors have decided to devote their schools’ programme of study to the education of the girl child.

    One of such proprietors is Mrs Mariam Mutallab Duba, the founder of Noble Hall School Abuja who runs an all-girls secondary school.

    She said her decision was borne out of the need to nurture girls for leadership role in the 21 Century.

    In a chat with our correspondent, she said the school has a vision of enriching girls’ lives through holistic world-class education that will develop leaders of tomorrow.

    “We also aim at providing a first-class educational environment for girls, create new cadre of female leaders, equip girls with the required knowledge and skills and strong family values to influence change in Nigeria and Africa,” she said.

    At the main site of the school located at the Idu Industrial District of the city, Mrs Duba said while construction work is ongoing, the school is scheduled to be inauguration next month.

    Two private institutions, the Nigeria Turkish Nile University and the Baze University are also located in the area.

    On the structural design of the school, she said the two-storey academic building has first-rate facilities.

    “The staff office carries an ambience that makes one work and work. It has 20 classrooms, eight laboratories and a library.

    “The library, which is online, has resources covering both e-books and physical books. Behind the academic building is a horticulture garden.

    “The two-storey hostel has a common room, 24 units with two dormitories each and a basement for laundry. Each dormitory has three bathrooms, three toilets and three box rooms. Attached to the dormitory is a kitchenette. Each unit has a common area apart from the main one at the entrance of each floor.

    “The auditorium, with its below-the-surface walkway, is a demonstration of architectural sophistication.

    “The large dining building with conical roof and a multi-purpose hall has capacity for 500. The teachers’ quarters look cute just as the sporting complex attracts even non-athletes,” she said.

    Mr Stewart Cowden, the Principal of the school said management looks forward to producing a premier institution in the whole of Africa in the next three years.

  • Protecting the girl-child

    Protecting the girl-child

    The girl-child is believed to be vulnerable to gender violence which is described as a global problem. Statistics shows that six out of 10 girls and women across the globe experience gender violence. They experience physical and psychological assault at home, school and in their communities.

    Many victims do not get justice, but the Nigerian Girl Guides Association (NGGA), a group of students and youths, believes that violence against the girl-child and young women can be eliminated if there is adequate awareness.

    To stem the scourge, the Cross River State chapter of the association embarked on a campaign to Watt Market, one of the largest in Calabar, to sensitise traders.

    Members of the association drawn from different chapters across the state capital carried banners bearing “stop the violence” in a procession to the market.

    They divided themselves into small groups and spread across the perimeter of the market, speaking to traders, buyers and passersby on violence against the girl-child.

    The Cross River State leader of NGGA, Mrs. Grace Otu-Edem, reiterated the association’s commitment to create as enabling environment for the girl-child to live without violence. Otu-Edem said the campaign was being carried out by World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) to advocate for girl-child’s rights and end gender violence.

    She said the association decided to make the market its port of call this year because of large numbers of buyers that visit daily.

    Emphasising the need for people to speak against the violence, Otu-Edem stressed that girls remain the world’s greatest untapped resources.

    The Deputy Chief Commissioner of NGGA, Eastern Zone, Dr Maria Nya, condemned a situation where parents refuse to send their girls to school, but rather used them for child labour. This situation, she said, amounted to violation of girl-child’s fundamental right to education, saying the offence was punishable under the law.

    Nya, the Administrator of Saint Agnes Educational Centre in Calabar, said: “Long gone are the days when the girl-child is relegated, kept at home to do household chores or sent to the market to trade when their peers are in schools. The girl-child has the right to be educated just as her male counterpart.”

    She warned parents against domestic violence, harassment, rape, forced marriage and prostitution, and female genital mutilation, which, she noted, were punishable under Nigeria’s extant laws.

    Christiana Odigie, 300-Level History and International Studies student of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), advocated that there must be end to child marriage. She noted that child marriages posed threats to the lives of young girls, because it disrupts their education, but also cause health problem such as Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF).

    Responding, Mr Charles Obaino, a shoe dealer, promised to extend to others.

  • NGO for girl-child education

    Though Nkechi Ogbodo was born and bred in Nigeria, her relocation to New York in the United States over a decade ago, was the tonic she needed to have her orientation changed forever.

    Today, she is the founder of Kechie’s Project, a Non-Governmental Organisation that focuses on the girl-child through scholarships, and supply of school items.

    The initiative started in the US in 2010, but NKechi, bent in extending her large heart to Nigeria, ‘imported’ the initiative to her home country.

    “I’m a Nigerian, but I’m New-York-based,” she said. “I founded Kechie’s Project out of a passion to make a difference by touching lives, reaching out to those not privileged.

    “The whole idea emanated from the needy being helped by people not related to them. Having been in the US for long, what I learned is that most Americans have the heart of doing charity, especially with those not related to them. So, with the passion that I have, I couldn’t think of any other thing better than giving the gift of education and empowerment to young girls,” she said.

    As a young Igbo girl growing up in Enugu, Nkechi said she had had her fair share of challenges which were as a result of her culture that places more emphasis on male at the expense of the weaker sex.

    “The American society is a sharp departure from my culture in terms freedom of speech and education of the girl-child. I believe if the same opportunity is given to every other girl out there, though may not have the opportunity to be rich, and can achieve their full potentials,” she added.

    Kechie’s Project began its activities in Technical Secondary School in Uwani Akpugo in Enugu before moving the train to Adekunle Anglican Primary School, Makoko Lagos where the NGO foots the bill of two pupils of the school, including providing them with school items like uniforms and sandals, among others.

    The NGO’s Project Director Miss. said the body is hoping to enlarge its scope for more beneficiaries next year; hence the Lagos outreach geared towards opening talks for possible collaboration with interested government, spirited individuals and corporate organisations for more funding.

  • Advocates decry girl-child status in Nigeria

    Advocates decry girl-child status in Nigeria

    Human Development and Health Advocates have warned of a bleak future for Nigeria if girl’s education, health and overall human development are not urgently improved.

    The warning followed the report of a Special Nigeria Scorecard to mark the 2013 International Day of the Girl Child which highlighted the link between poor educational attainment of girls, forced ‘marriage’ of underage children and under age child bearing in the country.

    The scorecard was published by Africa Health, Human & Social Development Information Service (Afri-Dev. Info) in partnership with Africa Coalition on Maternal Newborn and Child Health, and Pan African Campaign Against Forced Marriage of Under Age Children.

    The advocates called for urgent national and state level action including improved policy and investment by Presidency and National Assembly, in State Governors and State Houses of Assembly to address the disturbing trend in the report.

    According to the report, eight states – Kebbi, Sokoto, Bauchi, Jigawa, Yobe, Zamfara, Katsina, and Gombe have the worst performance across all indicators.

    The indicators included;  Lowest girl child education; Highest female illiteracy; Highest adolescent girl ‘marriage’, Highest under 18 child bearing and Highest under 15 child bearing placing them in the highest risk category for maternal death and injury.

    The Scorecards also revealed that although worst performing states in terms of Girl Child Education are from the North it’s a serious national problem affecting all states.

    Ebonyi state which placed 12 for highest percentage of girl children not in secondary school – scores worse than North Central, North East and North West states  of Nasarawa , Benue,  Adamawa, Kaduna, Plateau, Kogi  and Kwara .

    Similarly for the number of adolescent girls in ‘marriage’ Bayelsa State (The state where President Goodluck Jonathan was Deputy Governor, and Governor) is at number 13 scoring worse than Adamawa Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa.

    In the indicator of females (aged 20 to 24 years) but whom had a live birth before age of 18 years – Bayelsa again at number 13 scores worse than Adamawa Taraba  and Niger .

    The three northern states score better than Delta; Rivers; and Anambra.

    Speaking to the scorecard, lead advocate for the group,  Rotimi Sankore stated that the scale of the problems highlighted in the report  are the kind of problems that the Governors Forum should be giving their most urgent attention to – especially from those 8 Northern states where it is obvious that the educational, health and overall human development of girls is key to their development.

    He noted that there is need for evidence based policy making in Nigeria, adding that the problem goes beyond Senator Ahmed Yerima, who is an advocate of child marriage.

    “People like him only make headlines because we expect that a former state Governor and Senator should dedicate himself to creating an environment that protects underage girls from abuse and exploitation, rather than facilitating a negative environment for human development.”

    Even in the best performing states, Sankore noted that   there is still cause for concern, citing  Edo and Ekiti states with the best secondary school attendance for girls which  still have up to 16 percent of girls not in secondary education.

    “ Lagos, Ekiti and Imo states with the least number of under age girls forced into marriage still have over 1 percent of girls in this terrible condition of forced domestic work, and sexual abuse; and Imo, Abia, Abuja, Enugu and Edo with the least number of under age child bearing still have between 0.8 percent and almost 6 percent of under age girls giving birth.

    “ If 65 percent of teenage boys were forced into under age marriage with women old enough to be their grand mothers as in the worst performing state, there would be a national emergency. If 66 percent of teenage boys were forced into fathering children for older women as in the worst performing state, there would be a national emergency. The hypocrisy on gender equality and women’s development needs to end to ensure improved health and sustainable human development for millions of girls ,  “ Sankore stated.