Girl Child Day: Okpebholo pledges to empower women, protect girls

File photo: Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State.

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has expressed his administration’s commitment to empowering women and protecting the girl child, pledging to expand opportunities in education, healthcare and skills acquisition across the state.

Okpebholo, in his message to mark the International Day of the Girl Child on Sunday, said his administration would continue to implement programmes that promote the welfare, safety and economic independence of women and girls.

He said investing in the girl child remained central to his administration’s development agenda, stressing that girls must have access to education, healthcare and opportunities to fulfil their potential.

“My administration is committed to empowering women and protecting the girl child, and I pledge to expand opportunities in education, healthcare and skills acquisition across the state

“A girl who is in school, healthy and safe today will lead a family, a business or an institution tomorrow. That is why we treat the girl child as a development issue, not a ceremonial one,” the governor said.

He said his administration was determined to give more women the skills and opportunities needed to participate in different sectors of the economy.

As part of this commitment, 50 women recently graduated from a training programme in compressed natural gas vehicle conversion, an initiative the governor described as the first specifically designed to train female mechanics.

Okpebholo said he would sustain efforts to open up more non-traditional career opportunities for women, including commercial tricycle riding, popularly known as Keke NAPEP, as well as other empowerment programmes to be introduced quarterly.

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On the protection and welfare of girls, the governor highlighted initiatives under the Office of the First Lady, including the Pad a Girl programme and the SHINE Agenda, alongside the state’s Violence Against Persons laws.

He said his administration was also committed to reducing risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth by improving access to maternal healthcare across Edo State.

“No woman should have to risk her life to bring a child into the world,” he said. “Our work in maternal health is meant to make safe delivery the norm in every community, not the exception.”

The administration has engaged skilled birth attendants in primary healthcare centres across the state, while the Edo State Health Insurance Scheme has supported more than 674 childbirths.

The Edo Specialist Hospital received full accreditation for obstetrics and gynaecology residency training in July 2026, while the state launched Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week in June.

The governor, however, acknowledged that more needed to be done to keep girls in school and protect them from abuse, calling for stronger collaboration among the government, families and community leaders.

“There is still a lot to do,” he said. “I urge parents, traditional rulers and community leaders to work with us, because no government can protect the girl child alone.”

Okpebholo wished women and girls across Edo State a happy International Day of the Girl Child, reaffirming his administration’s resolve to promote their safety, dignity and access to opportunities.