UNICEF honours Mary Slessor in Calabar

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Cross River State government have honoured Mary Slessor for her immense contributions for the rights of the child.

The occasion, at the weekend, was marked by the lighting of her statue at the Mary Slessor Roundabout in Calabar Municipal.In a remark, Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Enugu, Dr. Ibrahim Conteh said the choice of Calabar for the UNICEF inspired lighting of the iconic roundabout was informed by the past and exemplary legacy of Mary Slessor, a Scottish Presbyterian missionary to Nigeria who during her lifetime in the country, promoted women’s rights and protection of children.

He said: “She was most famous for having stopped the common practice of infanticide of twins among the Ibibio (and the Efik) people, an ethnic group in the then Southeastern Nigeria. Her legacy lives on.”

Also, speaking on the 30th anniversary of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, Conteh said: “it is UNICEF’s biggest communication moment of the year and an occasion to connect with the public to highlight the most pressing issues faced by children worldwide. On this day, kids take over and the world goes blue to call on world leaders to commit to fulfilling the rights of every child and acknowledge that these rights are non-negotiable.”