by Lateef Adewole
Last Tuesday, the 11th of October, 2022, was another occasion of the day dedicated to the girl child. It is called: “International Day of the Girl Child (IDG)”. It is a day that the world body, United Nations (UN) earmarked for the celebration of the girl child. On such a day, the issues that concern the girl child are accentuated to the consciousness of the society, especially, political leadership and policy makers of various countries, for more attention to be paid to them.
This year, the theme is: “Our Time Is Now- Our Rights, Our Future”. This is an appropriate and timely theme. It reinforces the need to look at matters affecting the girl child at this period, how they affect their rights and future. Education, health and safety are rights that everyone, especially the girl child, should enjoy. These should be basic. However, this is often not so. In fact, most times, the girl child is subjected to exactly the opposite, which are influenced by some cultures, religions or traditions.
At a time like this, it brings to one’s memory, the dastardly act of kidnapping of 276 Chibok girls in Borno State on the 14th of April, 2014, from their hostel in Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok. It is over eight years since that unfortunate incident, which is still hunting us as a people and as a country. At the last count, nearly 100 girls are yet to be rescued. The present administration did reasonably well to have retrieved over 100 of them in the last seven years. They should be commended. “Yinnin yinnin, k’eni o se min”.
However, they should not rest on their oars. Until the last girl alive is rescued, the government must never relent. Sadly, from those rescued lately, they are now women who have been put in family ways, with children, sometimes up to three or four. The dreams of such girls were shattered by that ruinous occurrence in their life, which changed the course of their destiny. Their country and their governments failed them. The society failed them. The world failed them.
Such is the story of many other girls, known and unknown, not only in Nigeria, but around the world. This is more rampant in developing and underdeveloped countries; the 3rd world. It is for such reason that such a day as the International Day of the Girl Child was set aside. Sometimes ago, I watched two of the Chibok girls, who escaped immediately they were kidnapped, and were later taken to the United States of America (USA), on television. They were interviewed about their lives now. I could not believe my eyes and ears. I am very sure many who saw the video would be as shocked as me. They are Joy Bishara and Lydia Pogu. That was in 2021, seven years after their kidnap.
Firstly, their appearance has drastically changed. They are grown up and looked more matured now. They have not only completed their secondary education but already had their first degrees. This year, Lydia has just graduated from doing her Master’s degree. The way they speak now, that typical “American phonetics”, they are a delight to watch. What changed? What made them different? Weren’t they the same “poor” young girls in Chibok in those days, struggling for survival and to get educated?
Yes, they are the same girls. The only thing that changed for them was the opportunity. New and better opportunities were availed them to soar and realise their potentials and dreams. Same cannot be said of millions of other girls like them across the country, but more especially in the northern Nigeria. When these two young ladies are put side by side their former school mates in Chibok today, it is obvious that the difference will be clear.
In Nigeria, various conflicting figures are quoted as the number of children who are out of school now, half or more of whom are girls. According to the UNICEF office in Kano, Nigeria, in May this year,18.5 million was quoted. The World Bank, in a document titled “Nigeria Development Update (June 2022): The Continuing Urgency of Business Unusual”, puts the figure at 11million. The UNESCO, puts it at 20 million in their recent Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report.
As expected, the Federal Ministry of Education said in 2021 that the number of out-of-school children in the country dropped from 10.1million in 2019 to 6.95 million in 2020. Many will surely not believe this. However, whatever the figure is, it runs into millions. This is a sad commentary on the country. These are future of Nigeria. The challenges facing the country with regards to various crimes today stemmed from the neglect of these same children in the past, who have now grown up, with no education, no training or any means of livelihood. This is one of many reasons they took to crimes.
From among these, girls are more. This is because, from whatever figure, the north has larger percentage. And the girl child education has remained a big issue there, historically. The practice of marrying off very young girls, which I see more as cultural than religious, happen a lot in the north. Children, who are supposed to be in schools, are married off at early age. This has resulted in many more problems like the high rate of Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) affecting these “married children”, more like girls who get pregnant while they are yet to mature physiologically. This often led to complications during child birth. Many have died in the process; mother and or child, contributing to high maternal and infant mortality rate. These are collosal losses to a nation.
I was particular about the cultural nature of that problem, more than it being religious. This is because, it cut across cultures with different dominant religions. In Islam, the place of the girl child is on high pedestal. It is so revered that parents of girls, who successfully educate and trained them, at least two, in pious ways till they get married, are considered to be on the path to being rewarded with paradise. Also, education is a fundamental right of all muslims, children and girls inclusive, as Islam is a religion of knowledge and abhors ignorance.
There were barbaric cultures where girls are killed in ancient times when given birth to. This practice could have stopped in many places around the world. However, we still have places where girls are subjugated physically, psychologically, and emotionally. They are not to be heard or seen. They cannot get inheritance. They have no say in who becomes their husbands. They are prevented from going to schools, saying that their place is in the kitchen and “the other room”. All these are outdated culture and practices that are still obtainable in parts of Nigeria. These need to be looked into.
Sincerely, in my experience, I have found out that women, who grew up from being girls, have higher innate capacities than men, who also grew from being boys. I have watched with awe, how women juggle multiple tasks and do excellently well at them. A woman will be in the same office, doing the same job that a man does, but still cater for her family, domestically at home, while such man will get home claiming tiredness.
When girls focus on anything, they do it with distinction. The widely publicised Global Open Mathematics Tournament, an international competition, had Faith Odunsi, a 15-year old Nigerian girl, from Ijebu, Ogun State as the World Champion. Another girl, Fareedah Oyolola also put Nigeria’s name on the global map when she received the Elitist title of International Maths Olympiad Challenge (IMOC). This followed her earlier honour which she received from John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth as one of the world brightest students in 2021.
The recently concluded Commonwealth Games, Birmingham 2022, that took place in England, saw many of our girls do us and Nigeria proud. They won medals; golds, silvers and bronzes, in various sporting activities. They set Personal Records, Games Records and World Records. Last Wednesday, Tobi Amusan was nominated among 10 women for the Women’s World Athlete of The Year Award, for her phenomena performances on the track all year round. She is the African champion, Commonwealth champion and World Champion in 100 meter hurdle. These are girls. President Buhari gave Amusan a National Award of “Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON)”. Others were also given National honours.
By experience, girls are bound to be kinder than boys. In Africa, ignorance do inform many married couple’s displeasure at having female child(ren). This is something infused in the peoples’ minds by retrogresive cultures and traditions. There are many male children who grew up to be rogues and never-do-well. It is not automatic that male children will succeed in their academics or other life endeavours. It is also not automatic that female children will fail in them.
The most important thing is the opportunity that each is given, exposure they get, and the trainings imbibed in them. When the girl child is given equal opportunities as the boy child, there is no limit to where she can get or what she can achieve. Only an untrained child, whether boy or girl, will turn out awful in future. “Omo ti a ko ko ni yio gbe ile ti a ko ta”.
It is also interesting to know that female children, more often, care more about their parents, especially at their old age, than male children. No matter how busy or engaged a girl (woman) is, she will always find time to cater for her parents. This is unlike a boy (man) who could give same “busy-ness” as excuse. Girls are born to be more compassionate than boys. These are from real life experiences, all other thing being equal. So, couples who have many girls should rather rejoice than being gloomy.
We have also seen women do great things in business, politics, academics, religion, and all human endeavours. They are too numerous for me to begin to mention here. About the politics, one state that interests me a lot is Anambra. “Anambra women no dey carry last o”. For many years, women have dominated the senatorial political positions, won through elections, in the state, with two out of the three senatorial districts, being represented by women. One distinguished woman is Senator Uche Lilian Ekwunife. This woman won a seat in the House of Representatives twice, competing with men in 2007 and 2011.
When she decided to go to the senate, she beat all the men who contested with her at both the party primaries and the general elections, twice also, 2015 and 2019. She has moved from one party to another over the years. Surprisingly, she always won her elections on all the political platforms she chose. That is the power and capacity that a woman can exhibit. Senator Stella Uduah is the second senator from Anambra State. She snatched that seat from a man who was previously representing that constituency, after her stint as the Minister of Aviation, during the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government. She has won twice too, in 2015 annd 2019. What did these women have? Opportunities!
In all, the attention of governments at all levels is called to the issues affecting the girl child in Nigeria, especially education. This is the responsibility of government, as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Section 18 (1) of the 1999 Constitution states, “Government shall direct its policy towards ensuring that there are equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels.” Section 18 (3) states that “Government shall strive to eradicate illiteracy; and to this end government shall as and when practicable provide (a) free, compulsory and universal primary education; (b) free secondary education; (c) free university education.”
The girl child rights and future should be made priorities and sacrosanct. Many obnoxious practices that disfavour girls and put them at disadvantage, put their future at risk, which still exist in some parts of the country, whether promoted by culture, religion or tradition, should be looked into and legislated out of practice. Female folks represent not less than 50% of our population. This represents 50% potential of our country too. Why would any responsible government allow half of their assets waste away by neglecting the girl child?
“If you educate a man, you educate an individual. If you educate a girl, you educate a nation”.
To all the girls in my life, I say: “I love you. I am proud of you. And I am happy to have you in my life!”
May God continue to protect us and guide us aright.
God Bless Nigeria.
You can follow me on:
Twitter: @lateef_adewole
Facebook: Lateef Adewole
Email: lateefadewole23@gmail.com
Whatsapp: +2348179512401
Share, forward and retweet, as sharing makes love go round!
October 22, 2022.