President Buhari Reiterates His Commitment To End Child Marriage
President Buhari yesterday, Thursday, January 16 reiterated his commitment towards ending child marriage in Nigeria. The President also said social inclusion is a key priority of his government with particular emphasis on the education of the girl child who is clearly economically disadvantaged.
The President said this while commissioning the headquarters building of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in Abuja. He said it is the collective duty of all to ensure that mothers of today and tomorrow are educated, encouraged and empowered.
According to him, his Government will sustain on-going efforts to end child marriage and improve girl-child education in the country.
In his words:
‘‘Our quest is to ensure that concerns of women, children, and other vulnerable citizens are given prominence and ultimately addressed.
A key priority of our government is the development and implementation of social inclusion and economic sustenance policies. Our determination is to ensure that economic growth and prosperity are felt by as wide a circle as possible.
In particular, we are laying great emphasis on education of the girl– child. The high level of young girls who are out of school or unable to complete school due to socio-economic pressures is disturbing and must be addressed.
The launch of the National Strategy to End Child Marriage, 2016 – 2021 has been the first critical step towards increasing children’s access to quality all-round education and enhancing the retention of the girl-child in our schools, ’’
the President said.