A seasoned educationist in Rivers State, Mrs Jacinta Amaechi, has called on government at all levels to, as a matter of urgency, prioritise girl-child education in Nigeria, to enable them compete favourably with their male counterpart for a better future.
Speaking with The Tide recently on this year’s International Women’s Day celebration in Obeama-Asa, Oyigbo LGA, Amaechi said the level of insecurity in the state should not deter government from ensuring that the education of female children is given practical interest.
According to her, “we must return our people to school, especially our girls. We should not be looked at as if we are defeated. We should not allow ourselves to be defeated. Children must go to school. I think, if all of us in the affected states are united and say fine and well let us go back to school and everyone is in school, how many people will they kidnap? Would they have the infrastructure to hold them? Government at all levels should not surrender but fight to get success at the end of the tunnel,” Mrs Amaechi said.
While reacting to questions on the recent government directive that only male students of boarding schools should be allowed to resume, Amaechi said, considering the prone nature of the female and after the recent kidnap of Kankara students, “I think the Kaduna State Government in particular and other governors are working tirelessly on the security and safety of female hostels to avert further occurrence.
“They should thoroughly secure the dormitories with all they can think of; then, Nigerians can now say at least, the government has been able to provide adequate security, and is more concerned because the girls came from far and wide. They need to do what is necessary to protect the educational interest of our girl-children for prosperous future for them”, Amaechi declared.
On child-abuse, Mrs Jacinta Amaechi appealed to Nigerian leaders, stakeholders and security agencies of government to live up to their responsibilities of protecting the lives of its citizens, as well, to provide sound education for its people, especially the girl-children and disallow the idea of parents and others turning them into street hawkers as this exposes the girl-child to all sorts of abuses, which range from child trafficking, prostitution to early unwanted pregnancy.

By: Bethel Toby