‘She said So, and other stories’ a right step to fight against the exploitation of the girl-child —Don

AS part of its efforts to mark this year’s World International Women Day in a unique way, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), the Shade of Women Foundation (TSWF), launched a book entitled: She Said So, and other stories. It also seized the celebration to enlighten Nigerians and other African countries on the importance of the  girl-child and women to national development and why women must be given equal opportunities.

The event, held at the United States Mission  American Corner, Jericho, Ibadan, Oyo  State, last Saturday, was graced by  scholars from various institutions, including, Manager, Community and Social Development Programme, Oyo State, Raheemat Adabanjia; Director of  Mother and Girl-Child Protection Initiative (MAGI), Mrs Adijat Malik; the chief launcher, Mr Kunle Sanni and co- launcher, Mr Mobolaji Ajayi; pupils from The Polytechnic High School, Abadina College and Glory of God primary School, among others. The reviewers include Professor  Olutoyin Jegede,  Professor  Ramonu Sanusi, both from the Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan; Dean of Arts Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Professor Gbemisola Adeoti; Director, American Corner Ibadan, Mrs Adefemi Bucknor.

Speaking on the topic: The role of girl child and Nation building, the guest speaker, Mrs Adabanija, highlighted the requisite knowledge of a girl child to fit for nation building to include formal or informal education and skills.

She charged the government, organisations and institutions to set-up more sensitisation programmes in order to reduce the problem facing the girl child in Nigeria.

“This book is part of one of the essential tools that will senitise people, especially the females. I strongly recommend it for the academics and the culture and tourism sector, because any country that desires absolute development will not take the issue of women carelessly,” she stated.

One of the book reviewers, Professor Jegede, noted that the 125-page book was commendable as it critically addressed the plights of the girl child and women in society.”

She anaylsised the work saying, “it entails an anthology of poems and prose narratives (short stories and essays) and contains 43, nine short stories, and two essays. The anthology is reach in ideas as it touches on the existence of the girl child: gender, beauty, education, family, sexually, and the role of the society. It depicts the girl child as unsecured and agitated girl.”

She noted that the title reflected hope? of the safe return of the recently abducted Dapchi schoolgirls, just as she described the diction if the anthology as simple. She added: “The figure of speech in the book contains simile, Biblical  allusion, invasions, paradox, sentences, among others. However, I observed that the packaging of the book, especially its cover, demeans its content. The anthology will be better of with a table of contents in order to guide the readers to the titles and pages of the works. Besides, a clear demarcation should have been made between poetry, short stories and essays. Some of the poems like Arise and Our Girls are Back on pages 38 and 63 respectively are quite captivating and compelling. Despite all the recommendations and critics’ one can safely conclude that the book is a right step in the direction of the fight against the exploitation of the girl child.”

In his take Professor Adeoti noted that the book tends to address the pains and pressures of being a female in Africa, while another Don, Professor Sanusi, in his review stated that the work calls a total liberation of the girl-child and women in Nigeria and beyond.

According to the Bucknor, the newly launched book depicts the plights of the girl-child and women across the world, just as she noted that in women possess greater qualities in any society and countries and that they must be giving equal right in national development.

Speaking on behalf the convener and founder of TSWF, Shakirat Oluwatosin Raji, the Programme Manager, Mrs Omobolanle Adedeji restated the initiative was ready to protect the right of the girl-child and women across Africa as well as tackle any problem faced by the female gender.