The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy has said that reports claiming that she advocated for child labour in her proposition of local toothpick production have no truth in them.
The minister insisted that she has always being a champion of empowering school girls.
Kennedy stated this while responding to reports credited to her where she purportedly proposed that Nigeria models China in the involvement of schoolchildren to produce commodities like toothpicks on Fridays.
Speaking during an appearance on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Kennedy reiterated her commitment to providing vocational training opportunities for children, emphasising that she never suggested using children for toothpick production.
“I never said the children will be used for the production of toothpicks. I don’t know why you people keep mentioning toothpicks.
“I never said the children should produce toothpicks. I said I want to put vocational machines in schools where these children will learn skills,” she said.
The women affairs minister emphasised the importance of vocational education, highlighting that these centres would empower young girls to acquire skills that could help them become financially independent by the time they reach 18.
She stressed that her vision involves creating a factory-like environment within these centres, where both practical training and the production of useful items would take place, generating income to support the student’s education.
“I equally said I will not bring just ordinary people to teach them; I will have it as a factory there so that while they are being taught, the factory can equally be producing that same thing and be making small money to empower those girls when they leave school and turn 18,” she added.
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