Kunle Adelabu
The Tutor General/Permanent Secretary (TG/PS), Education District II, Mrs. Anike Adekanye, on Friday, feted school girls at Eva Adelaja Junior & Senior Secondary Schools, in commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child.
The International Day, which has its foundation in the United Nations’ Beijing Declaration of 2011, is celebrated to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges that they are facing around the world. It advocates promoting empowerment for girls, amplifying their voices, and staunchly advocating for their human rights.
2024 celebration of the day was themed, “Girls’ Vision for the Future’, highlighting the need to fully unlock the potential of the world’s girls through support for education and leadership opportunities.
Speaking at the forum organized by Empower Her With Jenny UK 2.0, an NGO, in collaboration with Eva Adelaja Junior & Senior Secondary Schools, Mrs. Anike Adekanye noted that this year’s theme was timely and urged the world to celebrate the girls.
According to her, “the girls at Eva deserved celebration because their school, Eva Junior, had just won the award for the Best Junior Secondary School in Nigeria—an incredible feat! She promised to return to the school for a worthy celebration”, she said.
She told the girls that they are fortunate to be females and that their future is bright. She charged them not to play second fiddle to anybody, because they are special and should be proud of themselves.
Together with the girls, the Tutor General/Permanent Secretary sang Shola Allyson’s lyrics, “Obirin ni mi…” The content of the lyrics, she said, “illustrates the fact that a girl child is not an accident of creation. There is nothing a boy can do that a girl cannot do.
“The beginning may be rough, but there is light at the end of the tunnel,” she noted.
She also reminded the girls of their uniqueness, amazing nature, and the power to achieve their dreams. She urged them to work hard and believe in God and themselves.
Mrs. Anike Adekanye highlighted that the girl child would face greater challenges in reaching her potential if not for the enabling environment and support of the girl-child education initiatives by Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu.
She also praised the Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Jamiu Alli-Balogun, whose contributions towards the education of the girl child, she said, are legendary.
The Tutor General/Permanent Secretary also applauded all stakeholders who contribute positively to the upbringing of the girl child.
