Oluremi Tinubu, the President’s wife, has urged for stakeholders to eliminate gender disparities that impede girls’ and women’s development.
She made the statement while speaking to attendees at the 28th General Assembly of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD).
The Nigerian First Lady believes that eliminating the gender gap is an act of justice rather than charity.
She stated that without education, girls lack the ability to sustain themselves and access knowledge to make educated decisions about their health and future, and that school dropouts exacerbate the cycle of poverty and gender inequity.
Oluremi Tinubu also stated that it is deeply upsetting because established societal norms such as early marriage and children limit females’ life choices.
She said “Across Nigeria, other obstacles like sexual violence, family health crisis and poverty also force girls out of classroom.”
She informed the audience that the Nigerian government, through the Ministry of Education, plans to build the Alternative High School for Girls across the country, a project she envisioned when serving as Lagos State’s First Lady.
“Identifying this gap, in 2007, while serving as the First Lady of Lagos State, and realising that education is a lifelong process, I envisioned the “Alternative High School for Girls” in collaboration with the State’s Ministry of Education.
“The concept of alternative education for girls was birthed out of my desire to ensure that young girls who dropped out of school for reasons such as early pregnancies, economic hardship or marginalisation due to cultural bias or social barriers, had a second opportunity to go back to school to complete and advance their educational goals, acquire skills and empowered” she added.
