BOWFT: Edo First Lady, Obaseki rallies wives of govs, former govs to check prevalence of teenage pregnancy, abortion

Stanley Ihedigbo

Edo State First Lady, Dr. (Mrs) Betsy Obaseki and her Oyo State counterpart, Mrs. Tamunominini Makinde, have rallied support to check the menace of teenage pregnancy, which affects their social development.

Former First Ladies of Ekiti and Imo States, Erelu Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi and Nneoma Okorocha, respectively, also joined their voices in advocating for a better deal for the girl-child.

The wives of the governors and former governors made the call in Benin City, during a seminar held as part of activities to mark the fourth edition of the Betsy Obaseki Women Football Tournament (BOWFT), which is themed, “Say no to teenage pregnancy and bandonment.”

In her welcome address, Mrs. Obaseki said the journey to fighting social vices affecting the girl-child has been largely successful with an increase in the number of States domesticating the Violence Against Persons (VAP) Law, noting that the number of States that have subscribed to the law has grown from 12 to 35 States.

She described the journey as being very fruitful with evidence showing that the fight against challenges and vices facing the girl child across the States are being tackled.

The Edo First Lady noted, “We gather here every year to address one social vice or the other bordering on the girl-child in the country. We are not just here to play football but to address these social vices and challenges.

“Teenage pregnancy and abortion have become a big problem in Nigeria, especially in the South South region. It exposes children to VVF, endangering their lives. They are exploited, impregnated and abandoned to suffer. Poverty has made families vulnerable, making them exploit their young children to measure up. It leads to teenage pregnancy and abortion.”

According to her, Edo State in the last 8 years has put modalities in place to protect the girl-child as the VAP Law is very effective, with many violators tried.