Urging students to abstain from adolescent pregnancy
Nigerian students have
been urged to abstain from teen pregnancy, which has the potential to damage
their futures.
The students were also
urged to concentrate on their studies in order to avoid the negative effects of
an unexpected pregnancy.
The call was made in
Enugu at a one-day seminar hosted by the nongovernmental organization Centre
for Innovative and Pragmatic Development Initiative, CIPDI, in conjunction with
Iliaki Group and Domark Health & Educational Foundation, DOHEF, to
commemorate the 2022 International Day of the African Child. Mr. Samuel Ibekwe,
the South East regional manager of Marie Stopes Nigeria, made the statement.
Ibekwe stated at a
discussion on the subject of "Teenage Pregnancy and Menstrual
Hygiene" those young children of school age should refrain from premarital
sex in order to avoid damaging their future.
When a girl between the
ages of 13 and 19 becomes pregnant, there is a strong likelihood that she will
abandon her academic goals in order to become a mother at a young age,
according to Ibekwe, who defined teenage pregnancy as a situation where a young
person who has not yet reached the age of marriage becomes pregnant.
Therefore, he exhorted
his followers to abstain from premarital sex in order to avoid the negative
consequences that follow such behavior.
"Premarital sex
should be avoided by children of school age. They shouldn't have sex until they
are at least 19 years old, which is considered adulthood. This is because
premarital sex will promote early pregnancy, causing girls to leave school and
driving boys to become fathers at a young age.”
Teenage pregnancy has
harmful effects and needs to be avoided. Premarital sex abstinence will prevent
teenage pregnancy, he says.
Idaw River Girls
Secondary School, Jesus Good Shepherd Academy, Sacred Heart Seminary, Nsude,
and Special School for the Blind, Deaf, and Dumb, Oji River are the four
secondary schools chosen from various locations in Enugu.
Earlier, Mr. Ifeanyi
Nwanoro, President of CIPDI, revealed that the program's goal was to catch
children when they were young and learn about the numerous difficulties they
faced in school.
Lady Agatha Agu, the
organization's vice president of planning and programming, spoke on behalf of
Nwanoro and stated that the group is collaborating with all of the
participating schools to provide the students with the resources they need to
succeed and achieve great things.
Children at the event
urged parents to send their children to school and also take care of their
wards to help them become future leaders and urged governments at all levels to
prioritize basic education for their brighter future.
The highlight of the
event was a cultural dance presented by physically challenged kids from Oji River's
Special School for the Blind, Deaf, and Dumb.