The Acting Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC) Eyitayo Oyetunji has said that the continued closure of schools will lead to more girls dropping out of school.
The acting chairman, who made the remark in Kaduna to commemorate the 2020 World Population Day, disclosed that COVID-19 has brought about various challenges to women and will hinder the growth of women in society.
In the text of the press conference made available to Daily Trust on Thursday, Oyetunji decried the rise of gender-based violence on women and girls, assuring of government efforts to ensure women's rights are protected.
"The lockdown imposed has made it impossible for schools to resume; therefore, more girls are likely to drop out of school. This could result in early marriage and high fertility, morbidity and maternal mortality, abortion, and low self-esteem," he said.
However, he said the government has initiated numerous programmes aimed at defying the practices that negate the right of women and girls which include the Better Education Service Delivery Programme for Results (BESDA), which aims to reduce the number of out-of-school children in 17 states of the federation.