The wife of Akwa Ibom State Governor, Dr Martha Emmanuel has raised an alarm that no fewer than 17% or one out of every five teenage girls in the state are either pregnant or already a mother.
The first lady raised the alarm while ddressing the sixth-anniversary celebration of Family Empowerment and Youth Reorientation Path Initiative (FYReP), her pet project, in Uyo on Tuesday.
Mrs Emmanuel pointed out that FYREP has in recent times focused major on prevention of teenage pregnancy, while pledging to commit more energy and resources to the fight against teenage pregnancy in the state.
‘FEYReP has reached out to about 15,000 students spread across 62 secondary school in the three senatorial districts of the state with its advocacy program tagged ‘Girls, Uphold Your Dignity’ with an objective to raising the bar on the standard of behaviour and educational focus of the girl child.
‘It seeks to reposition the girl child educationally, promote behavioural change and educate on reproductive health. Meanwhile, the program is yielding positive results’. She said.
To strike gender balance on care for Akwa Ibom children, she reported; ‘The advocacy also gave birth to a programme tagged ‘Bright Future for Responsible Boys’. Noticing that the boy child appears neglected and dangling in the cliff of social ruins, consumed by drug abuse/ addiction, cultism, rape, promiscuity, and other vices, FEYReP stems the tide by educating the boys on sexual orientation and the need for financial independence. The innovative approach has rescued our young boys from the clutches of abandonment and neglect’.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
