The Queen of Twon-Brass Kingdom and president of the Queens of the Niger Delta Initiative, Dr. Josephine Diete-Spiff, has said the newly signed Student Loan Bill by President Bola Tinubu will support girls that can access education if properly distributed and maintained in an accountable manner.
She stated this yesterday in an interview with LEADERSHIP Friday in Yenagoa, while reacting to the importance and benefit of the student loan in addressing the alarming rate of illiteracy among women in the country.
She noted that encouraging and supporting free loan education in the girl child will lead to them being able to occupy leadership positions, participate in politics and be able to usher in the much-needed liberation and self-reliance for women in Nigeria.
The wife of the former Rivers State military governor also described the interest-free loan as a welcome development, while urging the federal government to ensure that the recipients have a good understanding of the loan process to support payback.
“Payback is necessary to increase the number of girls that can access the loan. Investing in girls’ education will raise the availability of skilled labour and productivity level, well-raised children and less crime in the society, improvement in productivity will also increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the economy and invariably the country’s economic health.
“The importance of female education cannot be over-emphasised, as Nigeria records an alarming rate of illiteracy among women. Female education raises the earning power of women and leads to growth in GDP of the country. Socially, educating females will lead to empowerment which will affect the home positively.
“Educated girls might not marry young, live healthy lives, be productive, raise healthy children with an equally productive future. Educated girls can participate in the decision-making process of their homes, community, and the nation. They can access robust futures for themselves and their families. Female education fortifies economies and lessens inequality in a nation”, she said.
Josephine further disclosed that she was not quite satisfied with the role women played in the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that women deserved more opportunities to serve in this new administration of President Tinubu.
“Nigerian women deserve more. They constitute about 50 per cent of our country’s population and do play a vital role as mothers, child nurturers, producers, time managers, society organizers, as well as social beings and are politically broadminded.
“Despite the foremost roles they play in our nation, the society has not accorded them these recognitions and they always face discrimination. These discriminations can be accounted for as some religious abuse, cultural stereotypes, traditional practices, and patriarchal status in our society.
“Due to these attitudes towards the Nigerian women, they have become targets of violence because of their efforts to promote transformational ideas.
“The abilities given to women at creation, is seen in the way they manage their home and cater for their children. These women’s abilities can easily be replicated in governance, and their presence in political offices will spell better opportunities for women in general,” she said.
