Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has advocated that the same way education is made a priority for the male child, it should be for the female child as well.
The former Nigerian leader said it is wrong to think the only place good for the female child is the kitchen and condemned those who deny opportunities for girl-child education.
According to him, such idea of giving more importance to male child education over the female child is a wrong culture that should not be encouraged.
Speaking in Abeokuta, Ogun State during a programme organized in commemoration of this year’s World Diabetes Day, Obasanjo said woe betides persons that are against the girl child education.
Taking it further, he stated that his daughter, Iyabo is also against denying a child education because of her gender, adding that anyone that engages in such and is found out will be crushed by his daughter.
Sharing a personal experience, Obasanjo narrated how his father pulled his younger sister out of school and its effect on her future.
The former Nigerian leader pointed out that such experiences are why girl-child education as a strong area of focus for his Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation.
Obasanjo said, “When I started school in the village, I had a junior sister, who was enrolled in school two years after I had joined the school… and suddenly, our father decided that – because a girl-child education ends in the kitchen, pulled her out of school – I remained in school.
“And that singular action made the difference between her development into adulthood and my development into adulthood. I had a plan that whenever I return from the UK, I will re-enrol her back to school. But by the time I came back from the UK, my wife had given my sister out in marriage and that ended my sister’s education.
“Then, I vowed that whatever I can do for girl-child education, I will always do. And this unfortunate idea of girl-child education ending in the kitchen is unimportant. The culture of giving preference to a male child over a female child is an idea and culture that must be killed.
“Woe betide anyone who attempts to relegate my eldest child, Iyabo. Iyabo will crush such a person, be he or she.”
