Olushola Omogbehin
Vice President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima has left his seat to allow a teenager, Joy Ogah, to take over the affairs of the second office of Nigeria for one day, thereby advocating for the right and education of the girl child in Nigeria.
This event took place on Monday at the Presidential Villa Abuja when Vice President Kashim Shettima hosted a delegation from PLAN International led by its Director of Programme, Quality and Innovation, Helen Idiong.
From the seat of the Vice President, Ogah highlighted the challenges facing girls in the country, noting that over 10.5 million children remain out of school, more than 60 per cent of whom are girls.
“We must invest in education that is safe and inclusive for every child in Nigeria. When girls are protected, peace becomes possible.
“I may be the Vice President for a day, but the struggles I represent cannot end in a day. They must continue in our policies, our classrooms, our conversations, and our budgets,” she said.
She urged the government to make free sanitary products available in schools with clean water, sanitation and proper nutrition for every child.
Speaking during the event, Shettima assured stakeholders and development partners of the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to promoting girl-child education across Nigeria.
“In President Bola Tinubu, you have an ally you can believe in and invest your trust in. I want to assure you, on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that this government is gender-friendly. We believe in inclusivity. We cannot disenfranchise half of our population and expect to grow as a nation,” he said.
