NGOs, FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, Train Girls On Digital Media

A summit tagged “Girls Together Summit Abuja” has been held in the territory to keep girls abreast with oportunities that abound in having digital skills in a digital age.

The summit was put together by Helpline Social Support Initiative, in collaboration with Office of the Mandate Secretary, FCTA Women Affairs Secretariat, and Hasam Foundation.

The summit featured talks with young girls on the need to acquire digital skills, and use same for personal development without falling victim on the social media space.

Addressing the participants, Mandate Secretary, FCTA Women Affairs Secretariat, Dr Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, described the summit as an advocacy and intervention aimed at ensuring that the girl child gets the right education.

She said the benefits of giving the girl child an enabling environment to thrive could not be emphasized.

Dr Laniyi who described the digital age as having knowledge about happenings around the world, tasked the girls to be deligent, innovative,explore their God given gifts, develop some sort of tenerity, be agile, and teachable towards becoming good leaders.

According to her, conversations like this are important to encourage girls, adding that the shared experiences introduced them to some exposure that would positively impact their destinies.

Dr Laniyi urged them to work hard, dream big, and be determined to surmount challenges.

“When you come through your challenges, you become a champion. Be innovative. Don’t ever do something the same way you did it yesterday, strive to be a model.The cardinal message is that building digital capacity is a priority, and we are leaving no girl child behind.”

“Digital skills is a critical priority as it closes the gap, and we are particular about setting accelerators through the different digital stimuli like the ICT programmes, scholarship programmes, all of these different interventions are to create an enabling environment for equal opportunity for both the girl child and the boy child.” Laniyi said.

Contributing, President, Helpline Social Support Initiative, Dr. Jumai Ahmadu, urged the girls to acquire digital knowledge due to the numerous advantages .

She, however, cautioned them against addiction to social media, saying, “we know what the social media is used for these days, we have people using our girls for child pornography and so many other ill vices.”

“So, this summit is aimed at ensuring that these girls are prepared, empowered and adequately equipped to be able to know what they need to do and what they should look out for whenever they are in the social media space. This is because, they learn online, and we have classes online for them to go and learn.”

“So when they are there (social media) they are supposed to know what they are to do, and at the same time, those who are into entrepreneurship will be able to know what to do, to advance their businesses online”, Ahmadu stated.

On her part, wife of the Ona of Abaji, Hajiya Hauwa Ibrahim Adamu, who cautioned against early marriage, called on all parents to prioritze education of their children especially the girl child in this 21st century.

She appealed to the Federal Government to come up with policies that will put an end to early marriage.

“We should encourage parents to allow their girls access to school, and reduce early marriage practices.”

On their parts, Founder, Aisha Cares Initiative, Aisha Abdullahi Adamu and Director Child’s Rights Foundation, Praise Sam, Speaker Helpline Voice of the Girls Parliament, Hauwa Abbas, Founder/CEO Silver Lining for the Needy Initiative, Lois Auta, Founder ElectHer, Network of Women with Disabilities, and Olajumoke Adeniyi, Head of Operations, Haram Foundation all reiterated commitment to mentoring the girl child.

Some of the participants Ruby Ojah and Odu Favour Ifeyinwa said they now have better understanding of what the digital age and space is all about as well as how to better their lives with the digital knowledge, without having to corrupt themselves.

According to them, the knowledge garnered from the summit would empower them to be able to deal with the dangers that may arise from the social media space.

By Remi Johnson, Edited By Shakira Alabi