The wife of the governor of Bayelsa State, Mrs. Rachael Dickson is positively impacting on the life of women in the state through her pet project.
While the wives of the former of governors of the state, through their pet projects, focused on women empowerment through cash donations and sponsorship of corrective surgeries and training in arts of trading, Mrs. Dickson seems to be proving quietly that she is tune with the need of the women folks of the state with the lunch of her pet project focusing on how to rescue the Ijaw girl child with the offer of free education.
Between 26 and 27 of July this year – in Yenagoa, Mrs. Dickson declared to women in the eight local government areas, her pet project targeted at girl Chid in the State. In her message, she urged the mothers not to give up in educating the girl child.
She attributed her decision to initiate a pet project on the proper education of the girl child in Bayelsa State to the pressing needs of the people. Entitled “Rescuing the Ijaw Child” – under the foundation of her father Friday Konyefa , she said her experience as child and the acquisition of formal education at early stage informed her decision to launch a campaign for proper formal education for a girl child.
The launch of the foundation was also merged with the First Bayelsa Women Retreat and attended by hundreds of women from the existing local government area of the state. It was also witnessed by the First Lady of South Africa, Mrs. Nompumelelo Zuma and her huge entourage. “The state governor is ready to give everything to train the women of the state and no woman will be my friend if she is not ready to acquire formal education”, she said.
?“I promise to support any indigent girl child who wins prizes in their schools. I have left lecturing few years back but I am ready to return to school if the women of Bayelsa assure me that they are ready to study.”
In their various messages of commendation for the pet project the labour unions and groups including the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Federation of Women Lawyers(FIDA),the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) and the National Association of Female Journalists (NAWOJ) agreed that the pet project is coming at the right time educational standard is at its lowest ebb and teenage pregnancy on the rise.
While the state chairman of FIDA, Barr.Pat Martins Simi-Ototo said the pet project is targeted at improving education for the girl child and is coming at a time the other options available to girl child in the state are less honourable including prostitution, teenage pregnancy, early marriages and illiteracy, the state chairman of the NUJ, Comrade Ebiuwou Koku-Obiya noted that the pet project was initiated at the right time and a positive step to eradicate the aged ignorance for the plan for a girl child.
On her part, Mrs. Suowari Rebecca Rafi of the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) said the pet project would serve as a relief for a state that has been faced with the problem he girl child. “Now that the wife of the governor is able to initiate the project, the people of the state will be confident that the existing ills against a girl child will be eradicated”, she added.
The wife of the governor however told everyone present at the event never to give up on the girl child even at the lowest ebb of teenage pregnancy because there would always be hope for the formal education if supported by the parents to get over her mistakes.
In her contribution as the guest of honour at the event, the Wife of the President of South Africa, Mrs. Nompumelelo Zuma challenged women in Nigeria and the other countries of Africa to unite and work together to confront and upturn the negative socio-economic vices working against the independence and political growth of women. She asked women in Africa to unite to educate girl child as a means to defeat gender based oppressive policies in the continent.
Mrs. Zuma said though facts has shown that women have failed in their role as foundation of home and the African society, there should be a renewed clarion call for a united battle against social problems, decaying moral standards and reclaim the leading role among the political leaders in Africa.
She added: “We must start to unite to tackle some of these problems and reclaim our leading role in Africa. We encountered the problem together and we must tackle it together. When we look around Africa, we see women face gender based oppressions. When we look around we see women being faced with decaying standard of living.
?“We must move. We must wake up as it is our task to teach women. We must unite to dismantle the decaying values and teach them about education and skill. We must let them know that solid education and skills empower women to become confident and become a human being.”
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