The Lagos State Commissioner for Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Hon. Lola Akande has called for the total emancipation of the girl child as Lagos marks International Day of the Girl Child at the Chapel of Christ the Light Hall, CBD, Alausa, Ikeja.
In her address at the occasion, the Commissioner disclosed that the United Nations General Assembly on December 19, 2011, adopted resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 as the International Day of The Girl Child in recognition of girl child rights and unique challenges girls faced around the world.
She emphasized that the Day also focuses on the plights of the girl child, promotion of girl empowerment as well as fulfillment of their human rights.
The Commissioner stated that the choice of this year’s theme “The Girl Child and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)” is apt as it is coming at a time when a greater percentage of the girl child are being marginalized, exemplifying that research had shown that in sub-Saharan Africa only 23 percent of marginalized/ poor adolescent girls finish primary Schools, while gender gap widens significantly in Secondary and Tertiary Institutions in many countries of the World.
Hon Akande quoted the United Nation’s Women Head, Phumzle Mlambo Ngcuka saying “if you don’t know where to start with SDGs, start with Women and Children and everything will fall into place”.
She noted that part of the main objectives of the sustainable development goals is to transform the world over the next 15 years, by eliminating poverty, discrimination, abuse and preventable death as well as address environmental destructions while ushering in an era of development for all people everywhere.
The Commissioner noted the importance of women empowerment at the grassroots level to foster gender equality, pointing out that the priority for Lagos State government is the implementation of programmes geared towards benefiting women and girls as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.
She emphasised that recently, the Ministry, in collaboration with Action Health Incorporated, launched the Strategic Action Plan for marginalized out- of-school girls living in Otto Awori, Saari Iganmu, and Makoko community, to make them self-independent economically through acquisition of vocational skills and ultimately reduce poverty in their community.
In her remark, the representative of the National Council of Child Rights Advocates of Nigeria, Alhaja Oshodi, reaffirmed that the Day of the Girl Child was declared in New York City USA in 2011 because of the atrocities meted on the girl child worldwide.
She therefore enjoined the girls to obey their parents, guardians and teachers and also report any form of molestation to constituted authority.
Hi sir, I am Kolawole Hulaimat . I was at the event also as one of the three invited guest speakers to inspire and empower the audience but nothing was written about me or the other “female” speakers who were there as examples of women doing great. I felt we were excluded from this article and should not be excluded. Thank-you .
Hello Kolawole Hulaima, The story was written by the spokeperson of the Lagos State and we are sure it is not a deliberate attempt to exclude you from the article, however we commend your effort.