Ogun First Lady, Others Call for Leadership Role for Girl-child

Sunday Okobi

As the world celebrates the International Day of the Girl-child, the Ogun State First Lady, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun, has strongly expressed the need to collectively call for greater attention, investment, and action to support adolescent girls in leadership.

Abiodun made the call at the 2022 celebration of the International Day of the Girl-Child organised by her pet project, The Ajose Foundation, held at the June 12, Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, the state capital.

In a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday by the Press Officer,Office of the First Lady, Kemi Oyeleye, the state governor’s wife said: “We need to nurture more spaces to include them in some decision-making where their voices can be heard, and they can effect change. Our schools, places of worship, and even the communities we live in should offer opportunities where our girls can include their voices in change efforts.”

She said the 2022 celebration marks the 10th anniversary of the International Day of the Girl Child, noting that since inception, there has been increased focus on issues that affect girls in Nigeria, from the ‘Bring-back-our-girls’ movement to the drive against gender-based violence.

The first lady stated that more people were lending their voices to support girls and create a safer world for them, adding that the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun had advanced the rights of the girl-child through scholarship programmes and homegrown school-feeding programe.

Mrs. Abiodun explained that her Ajose Foundation had also championed girls’ rights by tackling issues like child abuse, menstrual health and hygiene, and her aggressive ongoing mentoring programmes.

The statement quoted Mrs Abiodun as saying: “However, UNICEF reports indicate that investment in girls’ rights is still limited amid the many challenges impeding them from maximising their potential. Despite these setbacks and challenges, I believe in the future of our girls, and that is why a day like this gives me great joy to encourage our girl-children in Ogun State, letting them know that nothing can stand in the way of their progress.

“When the world tries to bring adversity or challenges your way, you should respond with resourcefulness, creativity, tenacity, and resilience. With the theme: ‘Our time is now-our rights, our future’, we are joining the global community to accelerate progress and prepare for another decade or more of concerted investment in the future and boundless potential of our girls.”

Also, the state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, in his remarks, appreciated the first lady for her efforts at nurturing the girl-children in the state, advising the girls to heed the advice given by the resource persons at the occasion.

One of the resource persons, the award winning athlete, Tobi Amusan, while speaking to the girls via Zoom, encouraged them to be positive minded and keep believing in themselves, which according to her, kept her going in athletics despite the challenges.