From: Desmond Mboh, Kano
A former governor of Kano State, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has challenged the Girl-Child in the North to aspire for the best in all her endeavours, by taking their destinies in their own hands.
Kwankwaso, a serving senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria gave the charged, in Kano, on Wednesday, at a ceremony organised by the Kwankwansiyya Foundation to celebrate the United Nations International Day of the Girl Child.
Represented by the Woman Leader of the Foundation, Hajia Zainab Audu Bako, the All Progressives Congress (APC) senator counseled the Girl-Child to strive for excellence inspire of the enormous difficulties confronting her.
While extolling their virtues and the position of women generally in the society, Sen. Kwankwaso recalled that, “The fact that the Girl Child has been subjected to challenges in her life is to say the least”
He noted that, “The Girl Child has become a victim of various gender discrimination, violence and marginalization that include female genital mutilation, forced early marriage, physical and sexual violence, child trafficking and forced labor””
He said that it was against these background that his eight year governance in Kano State elevated the Girl Child, making her “ a priority within his priority”
He recalled that this period witnessed a lot of initiatives in her favor among which were a free education policy from primary to tertiary levels with buses deployed daily to convey her to and back from school, free school uniform, free books among others.
He said that these initiatives were targeted at ensuring that no family had an excuse of denying the Girl Child the access to education adding that these initiatives paid off with the graduation of the first female pilot and eight female marine engineers from the state during his time.
In attendance at the ceremony were several past female commissioners, advisers including some female party supporters in the state.