WHOEVER OPPOSES THE EDUCATION OF GIRLS WILL SUFFER - OBASANJO

Olusegun Obasanjo

Woe betides anyone against girl child education says Obasanjo

Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria, has denounced people who are opposed to girls' education.

At a celebration of World Diabetes Day this year, the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation hosted a speech by Obasanjo (OOF).

Obasanjo emphasized the importance of happiness in all human endeavors during the ceremony held at the Main Auditorium of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State, noting that it could lower the risk of developing diabetes.

Obasanjo maintained that his personal experience with educating the female child had led him to include girl-child education among the Foundation's areas of focus in a statement released by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, on Tuesday.

"When I started school in the village, I had a younger sister, after two years of starting school, my sister started school. I was first in my two years and as I went along, my sister was also first in the school she started. And suddenly, our father decided to pull her out of school, because a girl's education ends in the kitchen; but I remained in school.

"That singular action made the difference between her development into adulthood and my development into adulthood. And, I thought that when I come back from UK I will send her to school. And by the time I came back from UK, my wife had given my sister to marriage and that ended my sister's education.

"Then, I vowed that whatever I can do for girl-child education, I will always do. And this unfortunate idea of girl- child education ending in the kitchen is unimportant. The culture of giving preference to a male child over female child is an idea and culture that must be killed. Woe betides anyone who attempts to relegate my eldest child, Iyabo. Iyabo will crush such person, be he or she," he said.

Olufemi Fasumale, a professor of medicine, had earlier emphasized the necessity for the government to create laws that would encourage healthy living and laws that would increase access to high-quality healthcare services.

Fasumale exhorted the populace to always lead a healthy lifestyle, pick up healthy eating habits, and abstain from cigarette use.

He cited Nigeria's 150 active diabetologists as evidence that people with diabetes in that country have restricted access to specialists.

He listed this as one of the main issues affecting the country's health.