Education, fundamental right of girl child – Aisha Buhari

All for one, One for all

The Wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has said education is the key that opens the door to opportunities and is the fundamental right of every girl child.

She made this disclosure at an event to commemorate the 2015 edition of Women and Girls Summit organised by the National Centre for Women Development yesterday in Abuja with the theme: “Empowerment and training: Innovating for girl child Education”.

According to her, ‘ It is only by chance that most Nigerian girls rise above the cultural and traditional systems of stratification that continue to cast women as inferior to their male counterparts economically, politically, and socially.’

Mrs Buhari who was represented at the occasion by the wife of the Secretary to the Federal Government, Mrs Alamanda Babadiri Lawal, said that those who escaped such subjugation have done so mostly by being empowered through education, adding that a good education offers Nigerian girl child an opportunity of being a valued member of the society.

“For girls in Nigeria and around the world, education can enable economic independence, political participation, and empower them with the necessary knowledge to activitively and effectively tackle oppressive norms that perpetuate different forms of violence against women and in contrast to the culture of gender inequality that persists, education serves as an avenue of exposure to a cultural alternative,” she said.

According to her, ‘the missing Chibok girls have been deprived of many things that this life has to offer. I remain confident that their issues will be resolved soonest.’

She also reiterated her commitment and resolves to champion the cause of women, maternal and child health, through consistent advocacy towards reduction of the high rate of maternal and child mortality rate in Nigeria.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Dr Ezekiel Oyemomi said the gathering was to draw attention of policy makers and stakeholders to the overall wellbeing of women and the girl child and reinforced government’s commitments to ensuring their empowerment.

The Director General, National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Lady Onyeka Onwenu, also said girls have the right to a safe, educated , and healthy life, not only during their critical formative years, but also as they mature into women

Credit: Beatrice Ada-Waku   Source: https://www.today.ng/news/25547/education-fundamental-right-of-girl-child-aisha-buhari