Governor’s wife seeks solution to girl-child education challenge

First Lady of Kebbi Sate, Dr Zainab Bagudu has posited that unless the government addressed the underlying challenges confronting the girl child across the country, bridging the gap in the number of out- of -school children, especially girls will remain elusive.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark Procter & Gamble’s 25th years of impact in Nigeria, Bagudu said increasing social investment by government and private players in the country would go a long way to reduce the gap in the number of out of school children.

While lamenting the poor learning conditions across public schools, Bagudu noted that the level of poverty in the country is directly linked to the challenges being faced young girls

According to her, girl child education will not reduce if common issues like personal hygiene and general learning condition remain a challenge in school environment.
Bagudu, who thanked P&G for supporting girl child education in the country, especially dealing with issues like menstrual hygiene management, noted that Kebbi state is currently making efforts in the same direction.

“We have six million girls that are out of school. The level of poverty is so high that some girls cannot afford to buy N100 sanitary pads,” she said.The Minister of state for Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said education, particularly in the areas of science and technology remained a key focus for the current administration.She said the initiative by the company was in line with the federal government’s commitment to provide proper education and skills for young girls.

Managing Director, P&G, Gorge Nassar reaffirmed the company’s commitment to the Nigeria’s economy, adding that investment in social challenges remained a priority for the organisation.He assured that the company would continue to provide superior products that would satisfy the needs of consumer across the country.

The Brand Director, Tolulope Adedeji added that the company’s ‘Always in school initiative’ for girls has equipped millions of young girls within the ages of 10 and 12, with necessary information on hygiene.