Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara has said that early child marriage would not be condoned in the state.

Mr Abdulrazaq stated this in Ilorin while speaking at a one-day media capacity training programme organised by Chidimma and Havilah Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, in conjunction with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

The event had the theme: “The Role of Media in Safeguarding Adolescents at Homes, Schools and Communities”.

The governor, represented by the Kwara commissioner for social development, Mariam Nnafatima-Imam, said the Child Rights Act protects the girl child from early marriage.

He said the state has domesticated the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) to eliminate violence against vulnerable children.

Mr Abdulrazaq warned that early marriage threatens girls’ lives and health while predisposing them to early pregnancy with complications such as Fistula.

He advised parents on the demerits of single parenting with its attendant disadvantages and called for proper monitoring of youths to prevent drugs and substance abuse.

Mr Abdulrazaq also reiterated the state government’s commitment to developing the capacity of the girl child through education and empowerment schemes.

Also speaking, the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kwara chapter, Lanre Ahmed, warned of the increase in technology-facilitated gender-based violence against girls.

He observed that sexual molestation against the girl child is on the increase while citing the ongoing trial of the alleged ritual killing of Hafsoh, a student of Kwara College of Education in Ilorin.

He advised parents and guardians not to neglect their children, irrespective of their gender and provide them with education on sex and the dangers of social media.

Mr Ahmed reaffirmed the commitment of the media to advocacy and protection of the girl child in Kwara and Nigeria as a whole.

He acknowledged that Nigeria is a patriarchal society, and most times, people lay more emphasis on the boy to the detriment of the girl child.

The NUJ chairman appealed to the government to implement the VAPP Act to protect the girl child.

In his lecture, Hameed Adio, the former Kwara commissioner for sports, called for the need to create “online safety for children”.

He called on journalists to engage with the youth by creating content that can counsel and educate them.

Earlier in his welcome address, the founder of the Chidimma and Havilah Foundation, Tope Omotosho, emphasised the foundation’s dedication to adolescent empowerment, particularly for vulnerable girls.

(NAN)