As a new academic session draws closer, the Kwara State government has commenced a girl child education awareness campaign across the state, underscoring the Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq-led administration’s commitment to improving girl children’s access to quality education.
Led by Hon. Joana Nnazua Kolo, the Adviser to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Girl Child Education, the awareness campaign kicked off on August 16, 2024, in Kwara North with parents, children, teachers, traditional rulers, government officials in attendance.
Addressing the parents and girl children present, Hon. Kolo emphasized the significance of educating the girl child, noting that education could usher in better career opportunities and improved social status for the girl child. She counselled that the girl child not be subjugated to only domestic roles and early marriage.
Making herself a reference point, Hon. Kolo recounted how education has opened the doors of opportunities for her. At 26, Governor AbdulRazaq appointed her as a Commissioner, making history as the youngest commissioner in the history of Kwara State and Nigeria by extension. Currently, she is an Adviser to the Governor on Girl Child Education.
When asked about their ambitions in life, it was gratifying to hear the girls telling the Honourable that they wanted to become teachers, doctors, and lawyers, among other respected professions. Hon. Kolo urged the parents to prioritize their daughters’ education so that they could achieve their various goals.
The Speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Danladi echoed the need for girl child education. The people of the community expressed gratitude to Hon Joana Nnazua Kolo and His Excellency, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for bringing the impactful program to their community while vowing that they would prioritize educating their girls.
The Girl Child Education campaign awareness is collaboratively carried out by the State government, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in the state. Hon. Kolo who is the leader of the campaign and her team will tour the three senatorial districts before the curtain of the educative and impactful program drops.
In 2022, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) estimated the number of out-of-school girls in Nigeria to be 7.6 million. Since Governor AbdulRazaq assumed office in 2019, he has ensured the girls in Kwara state, receive quality education through KwaraLEARN, payment of counterpart funds and provision of various educational aids.
Governor AbdulRazaq and Women Appointment/Empowerment:
Since the return of democracy in 1999, no governor in Kwara State has empowered and appointed women to strategic positions in his government like Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. In his first tenure, he appointed 56% of women in his cabinet. In 2023, he repeated this feat by appointing 50% women, underscoring his commitment to improving the social status of the women in Kwara State.
