Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, has called for death penalty for rape and related offences.
Tallen made the call public during the Flag-off of National Cooking Gas and Tree Planting project held in Girei town, headquarter of Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa on Friday.
The minister further advocated stiff penalty for child labour offences and other dehumanizing treatment against children.
“For the first time in the history of Nigeria, we have a President who has brought the issues of gender based violence to the national focus.
“Nigerian women and children are very grateful to Mr President for spotlighting their issues as crucial to national development.
“I, therefore, advocate for both death sentence for rapists and stiff penalty for child labour offences and other dehumanizing treatment against children,” Tallen said.
She said that the Cooking Gas and Tree Planting project was as a result of President Muhammadu Buhari’s desire to provide dividends of democracy to Nigerian indigent rural women and girls.
The Minister disclosed that 4.3 million people died annually as a result of emission from cook stoves according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
She said the event was to create awareness and sensitize the public, particularly women and other stakeholders, on the effects of using firewood for cooking.
“In line with this, the President directed that each of Nigeria’s 774 LGAs be supplied 1,000 cooking gas cylinders each.
READ ALSO: NAIJA TIMES Debuts September 15
“Adamawa State has been supplied with 21,000 Gas Cylinders at 1000 for each of the 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
“The development is Presidential gesture to be distributed to women in the rural communities, wards and down to the remotest villages,” she said.
She said President Muhammadu Buhari during the 2019 session of the United Nations General Assembly pledged to plant 25 million trees within one year.
In his remarks, Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri, thanked President Buhari for kicking off the cooking gas and tree planting project in Adamawa.
Fintiri, represented by his Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Bashir Ahmed, said that Adamawa government would work closely with the federal government to achieve the goals of conserving and protection of the environment.
He appealed to all beneficiaries to jealously guard the gas cylinders and not to sell them off for any amount.
