Wife of the Oyo State Governor, Engr. (Mrs) Tamunominini Olufunke Makinde has charged parents to protect their girl child from all forms of societal abuse and give them quality education that will enable play vital roles in the society in the future.
The fist lady, Engr. Tamunominini gave the charge at the 2023 International Day of the Girl Child held at the House of Chiefs, parliament building, Secretariat, in Ibadan on Wednesday.
According to her, it is the collective responsibility of parents, guardian and teachers to protect the girl child from societal violence and abuse.
She admonished the girl students who came to the programme from different secondary schools across the state to take their education very seriously in order to make them achieve success in the future.
“Take your studies very seriously because by doing that it will enable you to do so many things including the online technology and many others. Do not play with your studies, value it and make the best out of it.”
She said parents need to protect their girl child from sexual abuse, female genital mutilation and child marriage adding that with quality education they can be models like Engineers, Doctors and so on in the future.
While encouraging them to learn from their mistakes and move forward in their academics, Engr. Makinde urged them to remember that the International Girl Child Day is a moment of celebration which provides them the atmosphere to address issues relating to the well being of the girl child all over the world.
“The education your parents are giving to you will help you to know your right and what you should do as a girl in the society. I therefore urge you to face your studies and make the best out of it.”
The First Lady advised the parents to ensure that every girl had access to quality education to help set them free from any form of discrimination, be it religious, cultural, or traditional.
According to her, they are the leaders of today; therefore, it is high time we broke down the barriers that have held them back for long, and education is the key weapon that we must use to ensure that every girl is free from discrimination and intimidation.
She said education, in particular, is a cornerstone of empowerment which parents and guardians must ensure they give to every girl in order to train and empower them for the future.
Highlight of the programme was presentation of award and scholarship to some deserving students.
