Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto
The Sultan of Sokoto Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III yesterday said that henceforth the parents of out of school children would face the full wrath of law for refusing to send their children to school.
He stated this at Sultan Maccido institute, Sokoto, in an event to commemorate international day of Girl -child organised by Sultanate council..
The traditional and religious leader explained that Islam was not against girl-child education as speculated in some quarters.
“We in the caliphate hold education in high esteem because the caliphate and Islam was built on knowledge,” he said. He further added that he would soon convene the meeting of Northern traditional rulers in Kaduna to get the statistics of children out of school in each emirate and chiefdom.
Sultan averred that in the next year event the council would organise debates for all the schools in Sokoto State where the winners will go home with prizes and scholarships.
He encouraged married women who were yet to acquire Western education to do so as it was never late.
“If you are a married woman and you are yet to acquire Western education, it is never late as you can enroll in adult education,” he counseled.
On her part, a guest speaker at the occasion, Prof. Sadiya Omar Bello said she was worried at number of out of school children which she said was about 13 million in Nigeria where girls account for about 7million and Northern Nigeria have 65 per cent of the same number.
She encouraged parents to accord priority to girl-child education saying girls, if educated would contribute to the development of society.
There was good will messages from chairperson of NAWOJ, Comrade Zainab Saidu and other women organisations.
