Childbirth: 102 Women Die Every Single Day, Says Mrs Akeredolu

By Niyi Olutunde, Akure

Wife of the Ondo State Governor, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu has said that not less than 102 women die every day as a result of childbirth, while 2,123 children’s dream to celebrate their 5th birthday are crushed by death.

These challenges according to her are largely as a result of the low literacy level of our women saying that half of Nigeria’s women population are uneducated.

Mrs Akeredolu however said the major cause of low literacy level among Nigerian women was the lack of opportunity to be properly schooled due to gender stereotypes prevailing in the country.

Mrs Akeredolu said this at the 2nd edition of BEMORE summer boot camp opening ceremony held at PSTI, Ilara-Mokin where another set of 400 girls were empowered in the field of ICT and Solar technology.

While speaking on the government needs to pay more attention to girl-child in Nigeria, Mrs Akeredolu said that no nation can achieve sustainable development until special attention was paid to the girl-child in  terms of education and protection.

She maintained that Nigeria female illiteracy population remains high till date adding that more than half of Nigerian women are still without a formal education which must be pay attention to.

Her words, “Our greatest error as a nation is not the acts that prompted the 1967 civil war. Our greatest error has been and continues to be, denying the girl child equal access to quality education by upholding cultural norms, traditions and religious beliefs that discriminate against them.

“I have dedicated my life to empowering the women folk simply because I understand that a prosperous woman equals a prosperous family and in turn a prosperous community and this ideology drives me and I believe it should drive every individual seeking a better world today.

“An investment in the girl-child is not only an investment that secures our nation’s future but one that also transforms our present state. Young girls are vibrant and smart, they have potentials yearning for expression locked inside them. We will be astonished at what they can do if we support them in unlocking these potentials.

“I am optimistic that my girls will transform Nigeria to a digital country and bring an end to one of the greatest issues bedevilling our nation, unstable electricity”.