How Peter Obi’s Touch, Big Dreams May Bear On The Girl Child In Nigeria After Reading South Sudan’s Captain Aluel Bol Aluenge’s Story
The Oasis Reporters
February 23, 2023
@gregabolo
@Theoasisreport1
Peter Obi is a man who is very gender friendly. What he says and does on the theme of the girl child is very important to the issue of the girl child in Nigeria.
He was in Borno State on a campaign visit, even visiting Southern Borno where the girl child needs all the support that she can get because that was where some terrorists abducted over two hundred schoolgirls in Chibok Science Secondary School and sold quite a few of them into dangerous ways that is well documented in several journals.
Whereas some areas on the African Continent where the condition of the girl child was dire and are receiving some improvements, the Nigerian condition needs more attention to stop mass kidnap of school girls especially in the north of Nigeria.
First, meet South Sudan’s first female pilot, Captain Aluel Bol Aluenge and see a massive improvement in Sudan when bounty hunters used to terrorize girls and sell them off as sex slaves.
This trailblazing woman has already had a remarkable career in aviation that has taken her to fly with three of the world’s leading airlines on three different continents before the age of 40.
Aluenge was born in South Sudan in 1984 but grew up in Kenya as a refugee due to the political and ethnic conflict in her birth country. Following her father’s death, the new South Sudanese government sponsored the young aviator to complete her training as an airline pilot in aviation schools in the United States.
In 2011 she made history after becoming the first female pilot from South Sudan, and she went on to fly for Africa’s leading airline Ethiopian Airlines. Her career continued in Dubai, working for Emirates’ sister airline, flydubai. She made headlines once again across the African continent when her wings changed again to soar as a Captain with one of world’s leading international airlines, Delta in the USA. At Delta.
We hope her example will inspire more females and African women to chase their dreams and soar higher in aviation roles!
Katuka Meshach from Southern Kaduna wrote a letter to Peter Obi in 2015, weighing in on a broader topic, and here’s a part of it that deals with the topic of Peter Obi and education:
“Your educational reforms in Anambra state are unequalled as I am a witness to how you heavily invested in infrastructural development in public schools. You were concerned about developing ICT skills among young students, no wonder no public secondary school in Anambra state has less than a hundred computers in their computer labs with First grade Hummer buses for all the secondary schools in Anambra state, making transportation easy.
As a corp member back then in Anambra State, I learnt of how you always had periodic meetings with class monitors of secondary schools in Anambra State for the sake of monitoring and evaluation and how you expressly gave them permission to call you directly and report any problem they may have in their various schools. Your educational reforms yielded positive results as Anambra state emerged best in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), back to back during your tenure as governor.
El Rufa’i of Kaduna State on the other hand, spent 10 billion naira on a wasteful school feeding program in 8 months on ‘moi-moi’, fried yam, Jolly Jus drinks and the likes which all went down the drain with results of Kaduna state coming 12th position in WAEC examination in 2017 as against the 10th position they were in 2014″.
Peter Obi himself wrote to the girls of Queens College in Lagos on their anniversary:
‘Gender Mainstreaming, Inclusiveness Shall Be Vigorously Pursued By Our Administration’, Obi’s Message To QC Old Girls in October 2022.
It appeared in the news thus:
“Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi has sent a heartfelt message to Queens College, Old Girls on the college’s 96th year anniversary and the in depth richness of it’s message got over 10,000 Twitteraties engaging with like emoticons within one hour of its release as a sign of the resonance of its appeal to the Nigerian public.
Here is the abridged version of Peter Obi’s message:
“I salute the Queen’s College Lagos, Old Girls Association (QCOGA), as you mark the 95th Anniversary of your great and renowned college. Your alma mater enjoys the reputation of being the largest girl child college in the Federation.
The college has also produced in the past and present, many women in lofty positions; with many breaking the proverbial glass ceiling. The contributions of the famous QC to nation-building remain invaluable. While QC continues its part to train and uplift the girl child,
the Government must do its part too.
The Obi-Datti administration, when I am elected President of Nigeria, will sustain national development. Our governance principles, priority projects and programmes shall be anchored on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Experience shows that inclusiveness is an essential element in effective public policy making. This means that groups that are often under-represented or not represented in decision-making processes such as women, youth, and the vulnerable are not only consulted but also have their participation sought.
From its inception, our administration will continue to encourage investment in infrastructure, energy, transport, irrigation, and telecoms and education.
Gender mainstreaming and social inclusion in education, enterprise and politics will always be a priority. Our commitment to the wellbeing of the girl child and women is total and will be fully reflected in our broad and gender-specific policies.
We will reset and reboot Nigeria in all ramifications –leadership and governance, security of life and properties, economic and political freedom”.
The college has also produced in the past and present, many women in lofty positions; with many breaking the proverbial glass ceiling. The contributions of the famous QC to nation-building remain invaluable. While QC continues its part to train and uplift the girl child,
Experience shows that inclusiveness is an essential element in effective public policy making. This means that groups that are often under-represented or not represented in decision-making processes such as women, youth, and the vulnerable are not only consulted but also have their participation sought.
From its inception, our administration will continue to encourage investment in infrastructure, energy, transport, irrigation, and telecoms and education.
Gender mainstreaming and social inclusion in education, enterprise and politics will always be a priority. Our commitment to the wellbeing of the girl child and women is total and will be fully reflected in our broad and gender-specific policies.
We will reset and reboot Nigeria in all ramifications –leadership and governance, security of life and properties, economic and political freedom.
This will entail the promotion of intangible assets that underpin democracy; namely, good governance, rule of law, security of lives and properties and robust institutions. There will be visible and measurable indices of governance the people can experience.
Our government shall prioritize education to serve the following functions: technical and industry relevance; alignment with local comparative advantages and factor endowments; modern skills proficiency, critical thinking, ethical citizenship values, global competitiveness and talent export.
We will prioritize a structured approach to developing the digital skills of our young population to give them the competitive advantage to receive offshore jobs in the new gig economy, while also improving the efficiency and productivity level of our economy.
We will pursue a Marshal plan-type programme on education that incorporates compulsory technical and vocational skills, sports, entrepreneurship, programming, and digital skills from primary to the secondary level.
Inevitably, we will improve access to finance, MSMEs, youths and women, to significantly reduce unemployment and insecurity. We will introduce a mandatory “No Child left Behind” educational policy, mindful that Nigeria’s inadequate investment in the social sectors – health, education, and housing has resulted in the current dismal social and demographic trends reflected in low life expectancy, high maternal mortality rate, large number of out-of- school children, huge unmet housing needs as well high youth unemployment.
As governor of Anambra State, my administration achieved close to a 60-40 gender balance in appointive and elective positions. The national target has hovered around 30-35%. We intend to progressively aim for between 35-40%,
with aggressive gender mainstreaming action plan and rigid benchmarks. As your President, my team and I will recreate a nation where the rich and the poor are equitably and fairly represented; where Citizens’ interests will supersede political interests and the existing trust gap between the government and the governed will be reduced to the barest minimum.
Thank you and God bless you all. – PO
Written by Greg Abolo
gregabolo@gmail.com
