Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo has promised to expand education, health care and skills training for women and girls across the state.
He made the pledge in a message on Sunday for the International Day of the Girl Child. He said 50 women have recently finished a training programme in compressed natural gas vehicle conversion, which teaches people to fit vehicles to run on gas.
Okpebholo said his government will keep running programmes for the welfare, safety and economic independence of women and girls. He said girls must have access to education, health care and the chance to reach their potential.
“A girl who is in school, healthy and safe today will lead a family, a business or an institution tomorrow. That is why we treat the girl child as a development issue, not a ceremonial one,” the governor said.
Skills and jobs for women
Okpebholo called the gas conversion course the first programme designed specially to train female mechanics. He said his government wants more women to have the skills to work in different sectors of the economy.
He promised to open more non-traditional jobs to women. One example is commercial tricycle riding, popularly known as Keke NAPEP. He also said new empowerment programmes will start every quarter.
Health care and protection
The governor said his government wants to cut the dangers women face during pregnancy and childbirth. It plans to do this by making maternal health care easier to reach across Edo State.
“No woman should have to risk her life to bring a child into the world,” he said.
“Our work in maternal health is meant to make safe delivery the norm in every community, not the exception.”
The state has hired skilled birth attendants for its primary health care centres. The Edo State Health Insurance Scheme has paid for more than 674 childbirths.
In July 2026, the Edo Specialist Hospital won full accreditation for residency training in obstetrics and gynaecology. That is the doctors’ course in care for pregnant women, childbirth and women’s health. In June, the state launched Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week.
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On the protection of girls, Okpebholo pointed to programmes run by the Office of the First Lady. They include Pad a Girl and the SHINE Agenda. He also named the state’s Violence Against Persons laws.
The governor admitted that more must be done to keep girls in school and shield them from abuse. He asked the government, families and community leaders to work together.
“There is still a lot to do,” he said.
“I urge parents, traditional rulers and community leaders to work with us, because no government can protect the girl child alone.”
Okpebholo wished women and girls in Edo State a happy International Day of the Girl Child. He said his government will keep working to promote their safety, dignity and access to opportunities.
WHAT READERS SHOULD KNOW
Women who want non-traditional work may find openings soon. The governor said new empowerment programmes will be introduced every quarter, and tricycle riding is one of the jobs he named.
Pregnant women in Edo can seek care from skilled birth attendants at primary health care centres. The state health insurance scheme has already supported more than 674 births.
Parents, traditional rulers and community leaders have been asked to work with the government to keep girls safe and in school.
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