Saraki’s Wife Bemoans Chibok Girls’ Ordeal

Saraki’s Wife Bemoans Chibok Girls’ Ordeal

…Seeks Safe, Quality Education For Children
Wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, has bemoaned the
 continued ordeal of over 200 Chibok school girls kidnapped by the Boko
 Haram in Borno State, over 590 days ago.
Mrs. Saraki who is also the Founder of the Wellbeing Foundation
 Africa, stated this when she represented the wife of the President,
 Mrs. Aisha Buhari, as the Special Guest of Honour at the premiere of
“Searching” – a film that vividly depicts the realities and struggles
 of the girl child in Nigeria.
She stated that while securing the release of the girls by security
 agencies is the most important step for now, schools must be protected
 to provide safe and quality education for all Nigerian children.
She also called for increased access to education and the protection
 of the rights of the girl child through the removal of social and
 structural barriers in girl’s education in the country.
While urging relevant authorities to make schools a safe haven for
 learning a priority, Mrs. Saraki recounted the ordeal of the 200 girls
 kidnapped from their school in Chibok, Borno State over 590 days ago.
She said: “Their kidnap and the continued assault against the rights
 of young children to an education by Boko Haram is part of a wider
 conversation that we must continue to have in Nigeria and all over the
 world.
“Securing the release of every girl kidnapped by Boko Haram is the
 expected step, but we must return the focus to securing our schools
 and protecting the right to a safe, quality education for all of our
 children. This will ensure that the horrors of Chibok never happen
 again”, he said.
Expressing great concern about the plight of the girl child in
 Nigeria, Saraki’s wife  further stated, “As a nation, we must focus on
 developing the policies and initiatives that can empower girls and
 give them the tools that they need to lead.
“As a nation, we must collaborate, unite to break the culture of
 silence over the rights and welfare of our young girls. We must
 continue to speak up and speak out against early marriage for our
 young girls.
“We must summon the inner will to say NO to children giving birth to
 children. Storytelling is one way of driving these messages home and
 we must not be tired of telling their stories,” she stated.
The movie launch which was organized by the Love to the World
 Initiative, at the Silverbird Galleria in Abuja, focused on the girl
 child.
According to the organizers, the theme of the movie “Searching” is
 both significant and timely, considering the commencement of the 2015
 United Nations 16 Days of Activism on the 25th of November – the day
 which marked the 2015 International Day for the Elimination of
 Violence Against Women and girls.