..urges education for the girl child

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has described women as the cradle of life and society and urged all to ensure education for the girl child, as it is the most powerful weapon against oppression and relegation.

The Governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula on the occasion of the 2025 International Women’s Day, IWD, celebration described the contributions of women to societal growth as vital, noting that “without women, communities would weaken, the economy would suffer and families would forever be searching for directions.”

While stressing the key roles played by Benue women in the areas of farming, trade, lawmaking, teaching, policy making, as physicians and nurses, among others, he  enjoined male folks never to look down on women.

He said : “Here in Benue, our women are not just mothers in the genuine sense of the world; they are farmers, traders, lawmakers, teachers, specialists, and policymakers. Without their contributions, our economy would stall, our communities would weaken, and our families would forever be searching for a direction.”

The Governor described this year’s theme of the celebration, which is “Advance Action,” as timely, urging all stakeholders to speed up actions aimed at achieving gender equality, addressing the slow pace of progress among women, thereby empowering them and the girl child.

According to him “despite their invaluable role, very many women still struggle in the regressive waters of inequality. Some are denied education, they force others into early marriage, and overly many still bear the weight of harmful cultural practices. We must therefore speed up action to change this narrative.”

He described his administration as “one that is favourable to the women, considering the number of women appointees who are not just participants but decision-makers in governance.”

The Governor stated that priority had been handed out to empowerment programmes for the women in the 2025 budget of the State, revealing that grants and soft loans would be offered to the women through their cooperative groups, to kick-start trade, agriculture, petty-businesses and several other ventures capable of improving their per person income and self-reliance.

While calling on all to raise their voices for the women who could not speak and to help push aside barriers that hold women down, the Governor emphasized the need to invest in the education, empowerment and uplifting of women, insisting that every child, regardless of gender or background, should have access to quality education.

He said: “This is not just a moral duty; it is an investment in a brighter and more prosperous future.”