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Nigeria vows to address plight of internally displaced girls

Xinhua, October 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Nigerian government Tuesday said it would do everything possible to address the plight of Internally Displaced Girls including the abducted Chibok girls.

Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Alhassan disclosed this to reporters in northern city of Kaduna as part of the activities to commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child.

She said the government would hold a National Girls Summit, to highlight the importance of the girl child to national development.

"We hope that this all inclusive theme will pave way for us to achieve the 2016 global theme," she added.

"The government shares in the plight of the girls, government stands with the parents of the Chibok girls and share in their pains," the minister said.

"I want to assure the parents that the government is concerned about the girls' well-being and will do everything to secure the freedom of our daughters, the Chibok girls," she added.

The minister also said the administration was pushing for the passage of the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill currently before the National Assembly.

Alhassan said the federal government was also compiling data on women and the girl child, to facilitate planning for enhanced development.

She commended development partners for "ensuring that the girl child takes her rightful place in the scheme of affairs in the country.

The International Day of the Girl Child was declared by the United Nations in 2012, but was first observed in Nigeria in 2014. Endit