The Federal Government has called on Nigerian parents to allow their young children to get involved in the production of matchboxes, toothpicks, cotton buds, and sanitary pads.
The Minister of Women’s Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, stated this on Thursday at the 2023 Anambra Investment Summit held at the International Conference Centre in Akwa, the state capital.
Kennedy-Ohanenye said Fridays should be made free for children to start producing things and also advocated for the introduction of urban development in schools across the country.
The minister asserted that children in other parts of the world, like China, engage in production, which is the reason for the country’s high urban development.
She said: “I am pleading for us to look into more production of some of these things in our societies, especially the necessities like the matchbox, the toothpick, the cotton buds, the sanitary pads and stuff like that.
“Let us introduce urban development in the schools, if we can think about using Fridays as free for our children to start producing things just like they do in China. In China, even young kids get involved in production.”
Kennedy-Ohanenye said the Traders Union Association is ready to partner on the initiative so that the products produced by the children can be transported and marketed within the country.
The minister added that the move would check the high unemployment rates in the country and curtail drug abuse among children.
She added: “I was able to speak to the president of the Traders Union Association, and they are ready to partner on this where, when they produce these things, they carry them into a market within our country.
“This will not only create jobs, but we will also stop the issue of giving handouts to Nigerians when they’re supposed to be eating fat.
“We will equally cartel the drug intake of our children because there will be more occupied at school, and we will lead to some productions to start any money on time.
“It will equally cartel the insecurity in our society. Let us help ourselves. If we are hoping for the government to do it all, it will never happen.”
