…..Demand for apology from Cross River State Government
One week after the Special Adviser to Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade on Education, Mr Castro Ezama made damning and harmful statements against secondary school students in the state, the official is yet to retract the comment.
Recall that Ezama while speaking on a radio show said about 60% of girls in secondary schools in Cross River State are not virgins.
Nigeria Feminist Forum’s Secretary, Angela Nkwo in a statement said that it is worrisome that while everyone had condemned the reckless statement, the Cross River State Government has kept mum over the issue.
She said, “We are worried that a person saddled with the task of improving education and humanity in the state, is the same person casting irreparable aspersions on innocent girl students.
“Already, Nigerian girls grapple with numerous restrictions placed by culture and tradition, and the little gains made appear to be threatened.
“Cross River State is currently saddled with changing the narrative of children labeled child witches and wizards. A situation that has resulted in tens of school children sent out of their parents homes over claims of infesting their families with sickness and financial hardship.
Speaking further, “the Nigerian Feminist Forum believes that this should be the concern of Ezama, to return the teeming out of school girls to the classrooms to acquire education and not fuel the indices that may force parents and caregivers to withdraw them from school, “Angela said.
“Most importantly, we at the NFF wonder how being a virgin improves educational standards in Cross River state? Undoubtedly women and girls are weighed down with series of sexual and gender based violence perpetrated mostly by men and boys, and Ezama has heightened it greatly.
CALL TO ACTION
“In our quest to ensure the federal and state governments, and partners adopt public policies that promote, protect, advance and enhance the rights of women and girls, to enable for a more developed society; whilst ending violence against women and girls in Nigeria, the NFF demands the following:
“We call on the Cross River state government to immediately disengage Ezama for his harmful comments, which is a violation of the rights of the hundreds of innocent female secondary school students in the state.
“We demand to know how the research was conducted and the date compiled, did they subject the minors to a test and who authorized the tests?
“We demand that Ezama retract his highly abusive comments within seven days and take away the shame he has labelled on our school girls immediately else our earlier demands will suffice.
“Finally, let us make Nigeria safer for women and girls to enable them fulfill their full potentials for positive effect and change in the Nigerian system, “she concluded.
Editor’s Note: This photo is for illustrative purpose
