Rivers LG Chairman’s Wife tasks young girls on Skills, education
Port Harcourt, Oct. 12, 2022 – Prof. Beatrice Awortu, wife of the Chairman of Andoni local government area in Rivers said adequate career guide and skills development is crucial to emancipation of the girl child.
Awortu said this on Tuesday at Ngo, the council’s Headquarter while addressing a cross session of students in remembrance of the 2022 International Day of the Girl Child
The theme for the celebration: ‘Our Time is Now – Our Rights, Our Future’ was geared towards reaffirming the rights of the girl child while also proffering solutions to challenges that limits her from attaining self-reliance.
She urged young girls to equip themselves with enterprising skills as they strive towards achieving resourcful career parts to enable them confront poverty and unemployment in the society.
Attributing prostitution, drug addicion and other social vices to poverty and unemployment, Awortu urged parents and care-givers to support the girl child overcome them .
Prof. Awortu who is also the Director, General Studies Unit, Ignatius Aguru, University of Education admonished female students to resist pear pressure and invest spear time on self development (skills acquisition).
“The challenge of poverty and unemployment can only be successfully addressed when the girl child is empowered to become self-reliant, informed and fit to contributes to development of the society,” she said.
Similarly, Dr Amadi Awajimam, a Senior Registrar at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital and resource person at the event urged parents to shun inhumane practices such as early child marriage, female genital mutilation and other practices capable of endangering the female reproductive health.
Awajimam, a Nephrologist advised adolescent girls to build sustainable career parts, abstain from sex to avoid unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and attitudes capable of geapadizing their right to education .
Another guest lecturer, Dr Blessed Michael, of the Department of History and Diplomatic Studies, Ignatius Aguru University of Education on his part warned the girl child against indecent dressing and social media addiction.
Michael noted that the girl child is expected to exhibit high level integrity, discipline and decency as the society struggles to overcome the manace of sexual molestations and rape.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Council Mr Erastus Awortu has assured on preparedness to continue to invest in programs that would benefit the girl child and vulnerable in the area.
Awortu was represented by Mr Franklin Dimiari, the Council’s Secretary.
The event also featured talkshows and gift presentation by the Council’s First Lady Prof. Beatrice Awortu to the students.