Minister Pledges to Stem Tide of Illiteracy, Poverty in FCT

By Kuni Tyessi

The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Ramatu Tijjani, has pledged that the administration will continuously putting at the front burner the issues and challenges affecting orphans and vulnerable children in the territory.

She stated that the issues and challenges ranged from poverty, gender-based issues, illiteracy, harmful traditional practices, self-reliance, economic empowerment and all other vagaries that are peculiar to the plight of orphans and vulnerable children.

The minister, who stated this yesterday at the 15th anniversary celebration of the Fatherless and Motherless Aid Organisation (FACADO) Orphanage in New Karu, Nasarawa State, said already, many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are set to come up with interventions to resolve the issues with socio-economic stabilisation of the society.

Represented by the Director for Gender, Mrs. Grace Adayilo, the minister said the prevalent presence of orphans created by conflicts, hike in crime wave, sexual and Gender-based Violence (GBV), brings to the glare the crucial role orphanages play, particularly in stabilising the economic wellbeing of the society by way of raising a responsible generation of children while equipping them with skills for self-sustenance.

In the climax of the event which is a fund raising for the purchase of a hectare of land for farming to generate income for the orphanage as well as the launch for a music album, the minister reiterated that evidently, the event is a transformative approach to economic growth and empowerment of the orphans and development of the country.

Tijjani said: “The prevalent presence of orphans generated by conflicts, hike in crime wave, sexual and Gender-based Violence (GBV), brings to the glare the crucial role of your orphanage, particularly in stabilising the economic wellbeing of the society by way of raising a responsible generation of children while equipping them with skills for self-sustenance, and also helping in the farms too.

“The launch of the skill acquisition, farm and musical project, will in no small way enhance productivity and food sufficiency in the times in which we live in.

“It is a celebrated fact that the children are the future, but if you don’t empower them today, the ideas we live and die for will have no future and fruition.”

In her remark, the founder and Coordinator of FACADO Orphanage, Mrs. Ngozi Anih-George, said the orphanage which currently has 30 children with the eldest being 16 years and the youngest, a year old, has been able to provide opportunities for the children to develop their talents to full potential.

She said the proposed farm project would greatly help the orphanage feed the children and support their education, as some are already in the secondary school.