The previous day, I read an article on Ynaija about a girl in Katsina who was married at 14 years of age and divorced at 18years with a baby but is now enrolled in primary school with her daughter. It was under the auspices of the Katsina state government and an International body, they pay families of such girls for allowing their children to go to school and I hear the girl's family gets a seemingly paltry sum of five thousand naira per quarter the girl remains in school. I was baffled by such an incentive but i was also appreciative. It only shocked me how low the poor Northern families will go to make money off a cause that would eventually benefit the family, society and the nation.
Currently, UNICEF says children under the age of 15years make up about 45% of Nigeria's population. At first glance I disagreed with that statistic but I thought of our ever dwindling life expectancy as Nigerians and the death rate as high, if not higher, than the birth rates and I was forced to agree. UNICEF also claims a whooping 40% of children in Nigeria between 6-11 years do not attend primary schools. Alarming to say the least. Of course, the Northern part of Nigeria is the worst affected region and the female child also the more affected. The WHO says the female population has outgrown its male counterpart so if the girls who are more than the boys are deprived of education, who is surprised that Nigeria has one of the highest rates of child illiteracy?.
In 2004, the government passed the Universal Basic Education Act to ensure compulsory and free basic education and ultimately reduce the illiteracy rate in the country. Again as the ever comical beings Nigerians and their leaders are, we are trying to increase literacy rates with no teachers and schools. The teachers are unmotivated and the schools in the rural areas seldom have buildings. Our children learn in the most deplorable facilities, if I can even use the word 'facilities'. They 'learn' under trees and shrubs. Is this how we want and hope to achieve Education-For-All by 2015, which if you didn't notice is 3years away?
Maternal mortality was 1 in every 23 in 2008 and now between 600-800 per 100,000 livebirths, Nigeria is ranked 12th globally for highest Under-5 mortality rate, 40% neonatal mortality rate in 2010 (SHOCKING!!) and 3.6% HIV prevalence rate among adults within 15 and 49years in 2009. All very worrying indices for a population that is said to be the Giant of Africa.
Unfortunately, the women are more affected by everything stated above. They are the ones who will die from poor care during pregnancy and childbirth. They are the ones who will lose babies after a grueling hormonal and physiological nine month sojourn termed pregnancy. They are the ones who would have colostrum-engorged breasts after childbirth with no neonate to show for it. They are the ones most affected by the HIV pandemic. Always the women, yet we are not responsive and responsible enough to protect these ones.
Education will certainly reduce these statistics, yet under a certain creed, female education is an abomination. I simply cannot understand it. In the 21st century when we should seek to minimize preventable deaths, we use religion as an excuse to take more lives. Female education is the elixir we have longed for and we use our hands to condemn the very panacea to most, if not all of our dwindling health developmental indices. An educated girl contributes constructively to the economy of her home and family, even if it just Brazilian weave she spends her money on, at least she feels good about herself. An educated girl knows she should see a doctor when she misses a period or when she notices a strange discharge or when a drug messes up her cycle. An educated girl is more likely to visit a skilled health practitioner for an abortion, even if it is criminal, thus removing the risk of septic abortion. An educated girl knows she should register for antenatal care when she is confirmed to be pregnant and understands she must comply with her antenatal visits and routine medication. An educated girl knows better than going to a church or a traditional birth attendant to have her precious bundle of joy. She can afford not to, because she is empowered intellectually, financially and economically. An educated girl understands the relevance of routine immunization for her neonate and knows she should seek help when the baby seems to have delayed developmental milestones and when her baby has common childhood illnesses like malaria and gastroenteritis. An educated woman knows she should breastfeed exclusively for six months and not start 'ogi baba' even before the baby opens its eyes. An educated woman KNOWS!
So why then can't we get over ourselves and let these ones receive something as basic as education. Its even more painful that even with the little our grossly irresponsible government has put in place, we Nigerians ourselves refuse to be wise and choose to believe what a religion says is a taboo. Yet, with the several decades of practicing this creed, Northern Nigeria remains in throes of poverty, ill-health and death. How long will we remain simpletons?
It may be a man's world, though relatively, i am however yet to see a man birth another man. We must desist from such silliness.
Let us take a cue from Jane G.Lewis who said 'You don't have to be anti-man to be pro-woman' and get our house in order.
A stitch in time, they say, saves nine...I, however, say a stitch in time saves you the cost of a new shirt!
Girl education indeed and empowerment of women because women are the bedrock of any nation. Think about it, the highest IQ of an individual is develop at age 10 and these are the early years of a child when she/he is influenced by the mother. Then do we need to shout at the roof top that educate a woman and you have educated the nation?
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