By Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
A non-governmental organisation based in Abuja has called on government at all levels to evolve deliberate policies on skills acquisition programmes that will equip the girl-child, which is aimed at bridging the gender disparity in the society.
The call was made by the Helpline Foundation for the Needy Abuja, during a skill acquisition training programme organised for over 200 girl-children, as part of activities to commemorate the 2018 International Day for the Girl-child held in Karu Local Government of Nasarawa State.
President and founder of the foundation, Dr. Jumai Ahmadu, frowned at the high rate of girls who cannot access education or any form of skill acquisition that will prepare them for future challenges.
Ahmadu observed that across the world, especially in Nigeria, girls face adversities that hinder their education, training and entry into the workforce.
Calling on the government to come up with measures that will change the narratives she added, “it is disturbing to see our girls hawking on the streets across the country while their male counterparts are in classes.
“Statistics have shown that girls constitute a higher number of dropout school children in Nigeria. We are using this occasion to call on government to reverse this ugly trend by initiating policies that will equip the girl child to face future challenges.
“They have less access to information, communication technology and resources, such as the internet where the global gender gap is growing.
“A quarter of young people, most of them girls, are neither employed nor getting an education or training”.
While commenting on this year’s theme: “With Her: A Skilled Girl Force”, she described the theme as apt, adding that the 1.1 billion girls of today’s world are challenging the status quo. The United Nations adopted October 11 as the International Day for the Girl-child
