7.6m girls deprived of education in Nigeria, says UNICEF
With the abduction of more than 1,000 Nigerian girls in the last eight years, ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) has called on all the country’s tiers of government to prioritise the security of the girl child.
AAN, in a statement signed by the Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, to commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC), noted that the pervasive issue of insecurity continues to cast a dark shadow over the education of young girls in Nigeria.
“In the last eight years, more than 1,000 children have been abducted; at least, 80 per cent of them are girls. This alarming trend emphasises the urgent need for all tiers of government to prioritise the safety of girls, not only within the confines of school walls, but also in their communities and on their journeys to school.
“Despite the global outcry after the abduction of the Chibok girls, it is disheartening that after almost a decade, more than 90 of them are still unaccounted for, and similar incidents have plagued different parts of the country, including Niger, Zamfara and Kaduna states, with abductions often occurring within the school environment.”
Mamedu also noted that poverty and child marriage were bedevilling the education of girls, citing reports from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) that six out of 10 girls aged 12 to 17 are poor, especially those in child marriages.
IN a related development, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said about 7.6 million girls are being deprived access to quality education in Nigeria, with a larger proportion residing in the North.
The fund disclosed that Nigeria accounts for 15 per cent of out-of-school children worldwide, even when only nine per cent of its poorest girls have the chance to attend secondary school.
UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, Ms Cristian Munduate, gave the revelation, yesterday, during the commemoration of International Day of the Girl Child at Government House, Kano.
Munduate said: “The sparkle we’ve witnessed from them today is a testament to the boundless potential that lies within every girl child. Their capabilities today have illustrated the outcomes that are possible when a girl is empowered, when she’s nurtured and given the chance to truly shine.
“Yet, the accomplishments of these girls give us hope. However, the bigger picture brings forth an alarming reality. The truth is that 7.6 million girls in Nigeria, many from the northern regions, remain deprived of these very opportunities.”
