• Delegation visits First Lady
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has lauded the federal government for rescuing the abducted 39 pupils and five teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The UNICEF delegation, led by Executive Director, Mission to Nigeria, Catherine Russell, gave the commendation yesterday during a visit to the wife of the president, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, at State House, Abuja.
Russell stated, “I think investing in women and children is an investment in the future of the nation. UNICEF is glad to stay part of the time, helping as much as possible.
“We thank the leadership for rescuing children in conflict.
“What I see in my travels around the world is that conflict is one of the most difficult situations for children, whether it is displacement, conflict, violence, abductions, whatever it is, children need to be protected in these situations.”
She appreciated Mrs Tinubu for putting women and children on the front burner of her various interventions, particularly through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).
She also commended the first lady for championing the birth registration drive, which resulted in an upsurge to 14 million children across the country within two years.
The United Nations agency said the success was achieved through several key factors, including Mrs Tinubu’s advocacy through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).
Russell stated, “I think as Nigeria continues to advance, this will be an important moment to invest in children, and I like to commend the leadership and RHI for birth registration.
”Birth registration is one of the most important because children are part of our priorities to guarantee a great future.”
She also acknowledged the first lady’s pivotal role in the campaign against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), among others.
Responding, Mrs Tinubu expressed her gladness for the return of the abducted children and UNICEF’s decision to identify with the government during the dark period.
She stated, “We are used to UNICEF coming to partner our office in the way of advocacy because we know we have ministries and the work of the first lady is complementary and support.
“I agree with you that children are very important in any country for the development of that country.
“When you have children and they are not well invested in, no matter how wealthy that country is, they will not be able to make substantial growth.
”That is why, for me, with education background in teaching, I have known that we have to invest in our children.
“Like you mentioned, the children in conflict areas, you also understand that Nigeria is a developing economy and the population size is quite daunting.”
The first lady mentioned other areas of concern, including the increasing number of out-of-school children, mostly the Almajiris.
She said government was looking into how to ensure that they were well placed and given formal education in special schools, in addition to skills acquisition.
Other members of the delegation included UNICEF Country Representative, Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef; Chief of Staff, Mr Ted Mary; Senior Adviser, Communication, Marlene Jensen; head of project, Marline Serrano; and Executive Specialist, Nabila Jamshed.
