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Protecting, harnessing future of Girl-Child in Nigeria

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According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), adolescence is a critical period that can determine the trajectory of girls’ lives.

It is a stage at which key investments and support can set girls on a path toward empowerment, or when discrimination, recurrent constraints, harmful practices, and violence can send them down a negative spiral.

These come with lifelong consequences, not just for themselves, but for societies and future generations.

However, the girl-child all over the world has encountered some forms of challenges as a result of cultural, religious, political and social beliefs.

These challenges, quite naturally, in some cases, have made the girl-child an ‘endangered’ specie.

Some of these challenges include early marriage, pregnancy, violence at home and school, lack of funding, child/domestic labour, poor sanitation and WASH facilities, insecurity, wars and natural disasters, disabilities and “just because they are girls” as part of cultural discrimination, among others.

To find solutions to these, the global community came together under the instrumentality of the Millennium Development Goals and finally, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to see that the girl-child is liberated from everything hindering her.

It is in the light of this that October 11 was declared the International Day of the Girl- Child to celebrate female folks in general.

Our correspondent reports that the theme for the 2021 celebration is “Digital Generation: Our Generation”

Scholars, Artistes and Non Governmental Agencies have advocated the empowerment of the girl child using the tools of technology.

There is a consensus among them that access to affordable and accessible education is a right that should not be denied the girl-child.

For instance, Mrs Olufunso Owasanoye, Executive Director, Human Development Initiatives (HDI), said the girl-child can leverage technology to achieve her aspirations in life.

Owasanoye, made the assertion while addressing a group of Lagos State Secondary School Students drawn from selected schools in the various education districts.

The project, sponsored by ActionAid Nigeria and Nora’s, was organised to listen to and encourage the girl-child to be the best they can be in future.

The executive director urged the students to believe in themselves, adding that they have the ability to achieve whatever good things their mind could conceive.

She noted that God created them equally as their male counterparts with abilities to excel in all walks of life.

In addition, she said that school counselors have a lot to do in guiding the students.

According to her, confident relationship should be established between teachers and their students to enable openness in the sharing of the students’ challenges.

Owasanoye added that through technology, the girl- child could learn anything on the internet but cautioned against the use of the internet for negative and immoral reasons.

Contributing, Prof. Philip Ujomu of the Federal University, Wukari, Taraba, highlighted the primary challenge facing the girl-child to include the inability to fully implement the SDGs in terms of access to education for the girl-child.

Ujomu listed other challenges as access to healthcare, human rights, domestic violence, widowhood, among others.

However, the professor said that Nigeria had not fared badly in terms of efforts at mitigating these challenges but that constitutional reforms are necessary for more inclusion of women in participatory democracy.

He said that affirmative action for the girl-child, increase in budgetary allocation to education, youth empowerment with special reference to girls are ways the government could turn the fortunes of the girl-child.

“We have to be conscious that the girl-child is naturally disadvantaged.

“Some cultural and religious practices threaten the future of the girl-child in Nigeria,” Ujomu affirmed.

The don urged the girl-child to leverage technology in the pursuit of her dreams.

According to him, education is now available online and the girl-child should make use of the internet for self improvement.

Also, a Nigerian Actor and Comedian, Afeez Oyetoro, popularly known as ‘Saka’ , said that the girl-child has great future ahead of her.

Oyetoro said that the girl- child in Nigeria, unlike in times past, is competing with her male counterparts in the education sector.

“There is a better future for the girl- child in Nigeria unlike before where girls where not allowed to go to school.

“ In those days the girl child was forced into early marriage.

“Now, parents have seen the need for education of the girl-child,” Oyetoro said.

To encourage the girl-child, a Movie Producer, Ambassador Kolawole Princess, said she would devote some of her films and drama piece to changing the orientation of the girl-child.

Princess, producer of Mummy G.O Films, said that her scripts would contain life stories of challenges of the girl-child to teach morals in the society.

The Coordinator of Safe Mamahood, a Social Initiative Group, Ms Vivian Agomuo, advised that the WHO’s recommendations to improve the lot of the girl-child be adopted and implemented.

According to her, they include investing in the girl-child to equip them with skills, confidence, and life options through family, schools, technical and vocational education and training, and health, social and economic support systems.

“It is advised that infrastructure, services, and technology be made accessible to girls and effective in meeting their needs for safety, connectivity and mobility.

“Also, facilitating girls engagement in civic, economic and political life as well as continuing to advocate against girls and women.

“There is also need to strengthen data, measurement and the evidence base in relation to the empowerment of and violence against adolescent girls,” she urged.

In summary, the girl-child indeed has a future that must be protected by every institution in the society because the girl-child is naturally disadvantaged.

Efforts should be geared towards access to education and empowerment for the girl-child to enable them contribute meaningfully to the society.

When the girl-child is empowered, it benefits all.

This is because the girl-child who is empowered grows into an empowered woman who can care better for themselves and their families, increase their earning potential, serve as active and equal citizens and change agents.

Equally, they will stimulate economic growth for themselves, their families, communities and nations.

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The Academic Staff Union of Universities chapter at Taraba State University has issued a final warning to the Taraba State Government, calling on Governor Agbu Kefas to immediately implement the 2025 Federal Government–ASUU agreement or risk an indefinite strike.

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In a statement signed by the chapter chairman, Joshua Garba Mbaver, the union accused the state government of repeatedly failing to honour agreements reached with its members, describing the situation as a threat to staff welfare and the future of the institution.

Declaring that lecturers had exhausted their patience, the union stated:

“Enough of empty promises is enough.”

ASUU said its outstanding demands include the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government–ASUU negotiated agreement, payment of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA), Professorial Allowance, Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), and all outstanding arrears owed to academic staff.

According to the union, these issues have been discussed and documented through several engagements with the state government, but no concrete action has been taken.

“Instead of taking concrete action, our union has been met with silence and neglect by the Taraba State Government,” the statement said.

The union argued that the 2025 agreement was designed to improve staff welfare, strengthen university funding, revitalize public universities, and enhance conditions of service.

It described the government’s continued failure to implement the agreement as “unacceptable, provocative and dangerous,” warning that it undermines collective bargaining and demonstrates a lack of commitment to the survival of the university.

ASUU emphasized that it was not seeking preferential treatment but simply demanding the implementation of agreements already reached.

“We are demanding what is due to our members. We demand respect for labour, fairness, and the comprehensive implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU agreement.”

The union further warned that unless the Taraba State Government addresses its demands within the shortest possible time, it will have no option but to embark on an indefinite strike, a move that could significantly disrupt academic activities at Taraba State University.

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Ex- AGF Aondoakaa, SAN condemns killings in Benue

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 Benue State election, Chief Michael Aondoakaa,SAN on Wednesday strongly condemned the current wave of attacks in parts of the state, which have led to the killing of many innocent people and the displacement of thousands of others.

Aondoakaa, in a statement signed by his Media Assistant, James Ian, and made available to Our correspondent in Abuja said one of the unfortunate incidents was the recent killing of the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Ardo Risku Muhammed, describing the murder as reprehensible and unacceptable.

He urged security agencies to find the killers of the MACBAN leader.

Similarly, the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice condemned today’s attack on Saai Community in Mbajir Ward of Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, which claimed the lives of scores of innocent people and left many others with varying degrees of injuries.

Chief Aondoakaa SAN said he received the tragic news with immense shock and deep sorrow, describing the massacre as another painful reminder of the worsening security situation in Benue State.

He extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, the people of Saai Community, Mbajir Ward and the entire Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, while praying for the speedy recovery of those injured in the attack.

He also condemned similar attacks on Benue communities in Agatu, Guma, Gwer West, Kwande and other parts of the state.

While condemning the barbaric assault in Katsina-Ala, Chief Aondoakaa, SAN insisted that the primary responsibility of every government is the protection of lives and property, as clearly provided under Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He therefore called on the Benue State Government to rise to its constitutional responsibility by taking proactive and practical measures to secure the lives of the people instead of allowing communities to remain vulnerable to terrorists, bandits and armed invaders.

He noted that the Benue State Government has no justification whatsoever for failing the people on security, especially when unprecedented funds have been accruing to it following the removal of the fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu to enable states to have the necessary support and resources to confront security challenges within their territories.

According to him, it is both unfortunate and unacceptable that despite the enormous resources available to the present government, many Benue communities have continued to suffer relentless attacks with little evidence of a coordinated state response.

He demanded that the Benue State Government explain what it is doing with the huge monthly security votes appropriated for the protection of lives and property when communities are repeatedly attacked, thousands of people are displaced from their ancestral homes, and innocent men, women and children continue to lose their lives.

He maintained that security votes must translate into visible support for security agencies, improved intelligence gathering, rapid emergency response and concrete measures capable of preventing attacks, rather than becoming mere budgetary figures without corresponding results.

He urged security agencies to carry out a thorough investigation, apprehend those responsible and ensure they are prosecuted in accordance with the law, stressing that every life is sacred and that justice must be served irrespective of the identity of the victim.

He further expressed concern over the deplorable condition and abandonment of rural roads across Benue State, warning that the collapse of critical road infrastructure has continued to undermine security operations by delaying the movement of troops and emergency responders to distressed communities.

According to him, accessible rural roads are not merely development projects but strategic security assets that enable security personnel to respond swiftly to distress calls, pursue criminal elements and protect vulnerable populations.

He called on the military, the police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and all other security agencies to intensify ongoing operations, bring the perpetrators of the Katsina-Ala massacre and other violent crimes to justice, and ensure that no part of Benue State remains under the control or threat of criminal elements.

Aondoakaa prayed for the peaceful repose of the souls of those who lost their lives in the attacks, including the MACBAN Chairman, Alhaji Ardo Risku Muhammed, those who were killed in Saai, as well as all other victims of attacks in the state, asking that God grant comfort to their families and healing to the injured.

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RMAFC Chairman Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Corrupt Enrichment

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The Coalition of Civil Society Groups on Transparency and Accountability (CCGTA) has accused the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Dr. Mohammed Bello Shehu, OFR of corrupt enrichment

The coalition, an umbrella body of Nigerian civil society organisations focused on anti-corruption and good governance, has written to the RMAFC chairman seeking clarification over what it describes as discrepancies between the assets he declared in his 2020 Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) asset declaration and his current traceable wealth.

In a letter dated 29th June 2026 and signed by its Coordinator, Comrade Bashir Kurfi, a copy of which seen by our correspondent, the coalition stated that it was concerned about an “inexplicable gap” between the financial assets, personal properties and other interests declared by Dr. Shehu upon his appointment as Secretary of the Commission in 2020 and his present wealth profile.

According to the letter, “we are first of all genuinely concerned with the inconsistencies observed in the 2020 asset declaration. However, that is not our immediate focus at the moment. What’s paramount at the moment is the sudden unexplained wealth.

“Our action is not vindictive but a standard accountability procedure employed by CCGTA, which gives public individuals the opportunity to respond to allegations before further steps are taken.

“Any further action by us, including the decision to organise public protests, petition anti-corruption agencies, institute legal proceedings or publicly campaign on the matter would depend on the outcome of the clarification sought from the Chairman”

The coalition gave Dr. Shehu three days ultimatum to respond to the issues raised and threatened” “to invoke all legal means within its power to pursue the matter to logical conclusion if their request is not adequately addressed”.

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