By Michael Ofulue, Osogbo

A member of the National Assembly Commission, Taiwo Oluga, has emphasised the need for stricter enforcement of free and compulsory education for the girl child, urging state governments to implement free and compulsory adult education for women.

In her message commemorating International Women’s Day, Oluga stressed that education remains fundamental to securing the rights, equality, and empowerment of women.

She noted that while progress had been recorded in urban areas regarding girl child education, significant gaps still exist in underserved communities across the country.

“Much of the success recorded in the campaign for compulsory girl child education is limited to areas within the coverage of the media, which is just a percentage of the real challenge. Government must put functional measures in place to ensure that our young girls in the hinterland and underserved communities go to school, particularly they must have basic education,” she stated.

Oluga, who was a member of the 9th House of Representatives, further highlighted the importance of adult education, particularly for women in the informal sector, to enhance their knowledge and decision-making capacity.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain also urged active women groups in Nigeria to organise themselves as independent monitors to ensure that the women empowerment programmes under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda reach the grassroots, stating that such efforts would drive meaningful change and promote gender equality.

Commending the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her various initiatives aimed at empowering women, Oluga remarked that these efforts align with the government’s broader agenda for women empowerment.

She further encouraged young Nigerian women to actively engage in politics by joining political parties as major stakeholders and aspiring for leadership positions rather than playing passive roles at party events.

“Most women in politics today are just there as members, but are scared of the struggles for power with men, for many obvious reasons. However, for such trend to change, women must prove that they possess capacities and can deliver, not just as entertainers, but in delivering parties’ manifestoes and roadmap,” she asserted.

Oluga, however, stressed the necessity of male support in amplifying women’s voices and enabling them to play critical roles in society. She, therefore, appealed to men, particularly political leaders, to encourage and support women in governance.