Desmond Iwuchukwu
The Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Dr. (Mrs) Ipalibo Harry Banigo says the Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike-led Administration is very passionate about the development of Rivers Youths.
Dr. Ipalibo Banigo said this while playing host to a delegation of registered Women of the Ijaw National Congress Eastern Zone, at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
Dr. Banigo said the youths would be encouraged to fulfill their God-given roles in society because they have a lot to do, adding that they are our future generation.
“They are our future generation, if we lose them we have lost so many generations and what legacy have we left behind, we need to have youths that have a conscience and are robust in their thinking and creativity that will take over from us as leaders”. Dr. Banigo stressed.
The Deputy Governor who revealed that the State Chief Executive is committed to education noted that education remains the bedrock of our society.
She noted that from the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels all the educational institutions have been attended to with great vigour in the State.
“All our secondary schools are free and we have banned the issue of levies to make sure our children and parents are not extorted, so they can have access to education, no single child should be deprived of education, and there should not be any child on the street, they should be properly schooled in our public schools.
In our tertiary institutions, as you have noticed we encourage and empower our lecturers’, none of them is going on strike, there is no ASUU strike because we take care of the welfare of our lecturers and make sure that the environment is safe and secure”. she said.
Dr. Banigo who insisted that skills acquisition is important said most of our tertiary institutions now add skills along with the primary degrees, which are being awarded to them.
She said teaching our children about the digital economy is key so that they would not be left behind when the rest of the world is moving forward.
The Deputy Governor who said contact with Children is key insisted that mothers must spend quality time with their children.
“We need to send this message to our Ijaw women to spend quality time with their children, the Ijaw woman is multi-tasking, and she is a mother, teacher, and a breadwinner
In her response, the Women Affairs Secretary of the Ijaw National Congress Eastern Zone, Mrs. Gift Amangi Kalio, said women are primary shapers of children’s character.
She said that the women of the Eastern zone of the Ijaw National Congress intend to visit the 20 clans of the zone, to educate mothers on the need to pay more attention to the upbringing of their children.
She said effective communication with children from a tender age can sustain a good relationship between the children and the mothers, stressing that character growth is the main goal of child upbringing.