By Sola Ogundipe
 
The Nigerian government at all levels has been charged to prioritise commitment to protecting the rights of girls and women across all fronts in Nigeria in order to help maximise their immediate and long-term potential.
 
Calls have also been made for improved and sustained investment in the girl child while upholding full and unhindered gender equality and girl empowerment, integral to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, adopted in 2015 as the Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030.
 
Making the call on the commemoration of this year’s International Day of the Girl, the Lagos State Chapter of the Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria, NRHJN, remarked that girls in Nigeria will reach their full potential only if they are enabled and empowered to live healthy and fulfilling lives.
 
In a statement signed by the Lagos State Coordinator, Kikelomo Oduyebo, and the Assistant Secretary,
Yesirat Apakala, the network, tasked the government with achieving goals that will result in justice, inclusion, an economy that works for everyone now, and a shared environment for future generations.
 
“Every October 11, we join the rest of the world to raise awareness about gender inequality and to advocate for girls’ rights and empowerment, while focusing on the essence of addressing the challenges girls and young women face and ensuring their human rights are fulfilled.
 
“We fully align with this year’s theme as selected by UNICEF: ‘Invest in Girls’ Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being’ which focuses on taking action to curtail girls’ rights and gain progress on gender equality and equity.
 
“The NRHJN Lagos chapter emphasizes the rights of girls to a safe, uncompromised, and healthy life during their formative years and as they mature into womanhood. Girls have the potential to change the world as empowered women, workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders, just to mention a few. We firmly believe that investment in realizing the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights and promises a more equitable and prosperous future.
 
Calling for the unhindered achievement of gender equality and girl empowerment, the Network also advocated for an end to female genital mutilation and forced child marriage, arguing that schoolgirls must have access to quality education and a safe environment free of harassment, kidnapping, bullying, and defilement.
 
“Our girls are our heroines, and the Lagos NRHJN will continue to encourage mothers to nurture their girl child in order to break down traditional, cultural, and religious stereotypes and barriers that have prevented girls from achieving their goals, as we encourage more girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
 
“We will continue to support the government, schools, families, and other stakeholders in empowering the Nigerian girl by providing adequate and equitable educational and instructional resources that would lead to the eradication of all forms of sexual and gender-based violence against girls and women in the country.
 
“Girls, and boys too, should be given equal opportunities to thrive in the family, schools, and society at large for a realistically inclusive society. There should be no compromise.”