The Minister for women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has sought the participation of children in the country’s urban development process.
The minister, who made the call on Thursday, during the 2023 Anambra Investment Summit, said children in other parts of the world such as China engage in production, which is the reason for the country’s high urban development.
“I am pleading for us to look into more production of some of these things in our societies, especially the necessities like the matchbox, the toothpick, the cotton buds, the sanitary pads and stuff like that,” she said.
“Let us introduce urban development in the schools, if we can think about using Fridays as free for our children to start producing things just like they do in China. In China, even young kids get involved in production.”
The minister said she has already spoken to the President of the Traders Union Association who is ready to partner on the initiative so that “when they produce these things, they carry it and market it within our country”.
According to her, the initiative would check the high unemployment rates in the country, and curtail drug abuse among children.
“They will school and they will equally do some production to start earning money on time. It will equally curtail the insecurity in our society,” she added.
“Let us help ourselves. If we are hoping on government to do it all, it will never happen.”
Ironically, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development which Kennedy-Ohanenye heads, is also mandated to see to the protection of the rights of children in Nigeria.
However, the minister’s recent comment has raised concerns about child rights violations as the children may be exposed to child labour if her idea sails through.
