1 week ago
3
Vice President Kashim Shettima connected Monday handed implicit his spot concisely to teenage girl, Joy Ogah, who acted arsenic Nigeria’s ‘Vice President’ for a day, utilizing the accidental to advocator greater concern successful girl-child acquisition and protection.
The symbolic motion took spot astatine the Presidential Villa, Abuja, during a gathering betwixt the Vice President and a delegation from PLAN International led by its manager of Programme, Quality and Innovation, Helen Mfonobong Idiong.
Addressing the visiting team, Senator Shettima reaffirmed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s committedness to advancing the rights and acquisition of the Nigerian girl-child, describing the contented arsenic cardinal to the administration’s improvement agenda.
He said authorities initiatives specified arsenic the schoolhouse feeding programme stay captious to ensuring that children are steadfast and acceptable to learn.
“We volition proceed our engagement with PLAN International and spot however the unit and spot of authorities tin enactment your coagulated proposal connected girl-child education,” Shettima stated.
The vice president added that President Tinubu’s medication is “gender-friendly and inclusive,” stressing that a federation cannot advancement if it sidelines fractional of its population.
He besides praised First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu arsenic an illustration of however empowering the girl-child tin nutrient strong, visionary women leaders.
After his remarks, Shettima invited teenage advocator Joy Ogah to instrumentality his spot arsenic “Vice President for a day.”
Speaking from the vice president’s chair, Ogah expressed gratitude for the accidental and spoke passionately astir the challenges confronting Nigerian girls. She noted that astir 10.5 cardinal children are retired of schoolhouse nationwide, with implicit 60 percent of them being girls.
Ogah urged authorities agencies, policymakers, and improvement partners to enactment unneurotic to marque acquisition harmless and inclusive for each child. She besides called for the enforcement of laws protecting girls’ rights and the proviso of escaped sanitary products successful schools, arsenic good arsenic entree to water, sanitation, and nutrition.
“I whitethorn beryllium Vice President for a day, but the struggles I correspond cannot extremity successful a day,” she said. “Every miss deserves a classroom, a choice, dignity—not silence.”
PLAN International’s representative, Helen Idiong, commended the Federal Government’s enactment for girl-child acquisition and noted that the organisation has reached implicit 11 cardinal children crossed Nigeria done its interventions successful education, entrepreneurship, and younker development.
She recalled that a akin lawsuit held successful 2024 saw a miss instrumentality implicit the Speaker’s spot successful the House of Representatives to advocator for the removal of Value Added Tax connected sanitary pads—a connection that was aboriginal adopted done the Tax Reforms Act.
Ogah thanked the Federal Government for implementing that betterment and appealed for sustained efforts to guarantee affordable acquisition and adjacent opportunities for girls nationwide.
English (US) ·