The Anambra State Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Awka, Sir Joseph Uchendu, has advised Nigerian parents to start early enough to teach their children, especially the girl child, everything they needed to know about sex education and their health rights in the society.
Sir Uchendu, who was speaking at a One-Day Programmes Review Meeting Organized by the Leadership of the Agency in Awka for all Directorate headquarter staff of the Agency, observed that the times are evil.
He called on the parents to often mount eagle eyes on their children, especially the girl child, to avoid all forms of actions that could lead to the defilement of their body by the evil persons in the society.
He stated that it is better for the girl child to start early enough in life to begin to understand that their body should be reserved for their married life through proper and well-defined sex education by the parents and even the teachers as well.
The NOA State Director, who has just returned from a two days training workshop in Enugu on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights For Women and Girls, told the participants to remain careful in handling the current challenges confronting the Country today, especially in writing their Special Reports.
Sir. Uchendu, who noted that the Joint National Intelligence Board, Abuja has been regarding the Special Reports of the Agency as an early warning signal, maintained that the Programmes Review Meeting was geared towards information sharing among the Staff and the Management of the Agency and their other teaming stakeholders in an effort to keep the Agency afloat in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities in the country, especially at the grassroots, despite the poor funding of its activities.
He charged the participants not to allow the current socio-economic and the political realities in Nigeria today to affect their job performance and the operational effectiveness of the Agency, especially its programmes implementation in Anambra State and Nigeria at large.
“As a Federal Agency the NOA would continue to explore every available means in discharging its duties in the country and as both Staff and Management of the Agency, we must be passionate in discharging our duties with a view to recording a huge success that would be of a great benefit to Nigerians,” he said.
In her speech during the occasion, the Deputy Director Special Duties of the Agency, Barrister Ifeoma Chijioke, raised alarm on the exponential increase on sexual harassment meted out by some of the shameless fathers in the society to their own blood girl child and advised the Nigerian government at all levels to work towards initiating a stiffer punishment for such people in the country through enactment of functional law prohibiting such ugly trend in the society.
