General News
A girl child activist, Ms Nkem Umeadi, on Tuesday in Awka called on all tiers of government to increase empowerment of the girl child.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the 10th anniversary of the Girl Child Day in Anambra, she said the era when the girl child was relegated was long gone.
She also appealed to parents to ensure that their female children got the best of formal education as well as entrepreneurial skills.
Umeadi noted that there was no need for competition between children of both genders as women were not setting out to wrest power from their male counterparts.
“When you empower the girl child, life gets easier for everyone around her,’’ she stressed.
Also speaking with NAN, Prof. Oby Orogbu, an educationist at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, said that the girl child should be given equal opportunities as the boy child.
She noted that when empowered, the girl child would succeed in any endeavour and distinguish herself in her chosen career.
“I am very grateful today and proud of my parents who gave me the opportunity of education. It has paid off,’’ she said.
In her remarks, Mrs Grace Anagor, a community leader in Enugwu-Ukwu Community in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra said a girl child should be valued as much as a boy child.
Anagor noted that the girl child is naturally-endowed to cushion the hardships experienced in homes and advised that she should be comprehensively educated rather than married off prematurely.
The United Nations set aside Oct. 11 annually as the Day of the Girl Child to create awareness about the need for equality between the girl child and the boy child. (NAN)
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Tags: Grace Anagor Nkem Umeadi Prof. Oby Orogbu
