Okowa Restates Commitment to Girl-Child Education, Says Every Girl Deserves Opportunity

Former Governor of Delta State, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has restated his commitment to the empowerment and education of the girl child.

Okowa, who is seeking to represent Delta North in the Senate under the All Progressives Congress (APC), said he remains unapologetically biased in favour of the girl child, noting that girls are too often overlooked despite their immense potential.

In a statement on Sunday to mark the International Day of the Girl Child, Okowa said his belief in the girl child is not simply because he is a father of three daughters, but because of his recognition of the contributions they can make to society when given opportunity.

“I have always believed in the girl child, and I am unapologetically biased in her favour,” Okowa stated.

The 2026 International Day of the Girl Child is marked in Nigeria with the theme; “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights”.

According to Okowa, society has a responsibility to ensure that every girl has access to quality education, adequate protection, capacity-building opportunities and the support she needs to develop her skills and fulfil her potential.

Advertisement

“No girl should be held back by circumstances, discrimination or limitations imposed by society,” he said.

Okowa noted that a society that invests in its girls secures a stronger future for its families, communities and generations to come.

As Governor of Delta State from 2015 to 2023, Okowa pioneered one of Nigeria’s most successful girl-child intervention programmes — the Girls Entrepreneurship and Skills Training Programme (GEST) — under the Office of the Senior Special Assistant on Girl Child Empowerment.

The programme, which trained girls between ages 18 and 30 across the 25 local government areas of the state, recorded over 95 percent success rate with 437 out of 450 pioneer trainees empowered with starter-packs to become self-reliant entrepreneurs.

The initiative was a core component of his Stronger Delta Agenda aimed at unlocking youth entrepreneurship and building a critical mass of Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state.

Okowa, who is widely seen as the political mascot of Delta North ahead of the 2027 contest against former Speaker Victor Ochei, called for action beyond celebration.

Advertisement

“On this International Day of the Girl Child, let us move beyond celebrating girls to creating the conditions that enable them to thrive. Every girl deserves the opportunity to become all she is capable of being,” he added.