By Justina Auta
The Federal Government on Thursday commended Dufil Prima Foods Limited for rewarding three outstanding children for reporting baby sale, sexual molestation and pregnancy on a minor.
Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, Minister of Women Affairs, gave the commendation in a statement signed by Mrs Grace Njoku, Head, Press & Public Relations in Abuja.
Kennedy-Ohanenye, said the children were rewarded with one million naira by the company for their social, physical and intellectual bravery, which impacted positively on the lives of people.
“The recipients of the 2023 Edition of the Dufil Prima Foods Limited Awards ceremony include Helen Emmanuel from Ikot Usong, Akwa Ibom State for Social Bravery Award for standing up and fighting for a 13-year-old girl that was molested and impregnated by her father.
”Also, Happiness Bassey, also from Ikot Usong, was awarded the Physical Bravery Award for stopping her mother from selling her younger brother.
”While Ferdinand Maumo, from Makoko, Lagos State, a differently-abled child with spastic cerebral palsy, was conferred with the Intellectual Bravery Award for demonstrating an exceptional understanding of Chess through pattern recognition,” she said.
The minister, while commending Dufil Prima Foods for their consistency in recognising exceptional Nigerian children since 2008, urged other philanthropists to emulate the gesture in the development of the Nigerian child.
She said: ”The award is worthy of emulation, as it is capable of spurring other children in the country.
”Not only into heroic acts but also in developing social consciousness about acceptable norms and values that shapen the culture, religious, ethnic and diversity of the Nigerian people.”
She reiterated the commitment of the government to the welfare and the development of the Nigerian child, women and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the society, to give them a sense of belonging.
“We will continue to collaborate and join hands with relevant stakeholders towards the realisation of this policy objective of government,” she said.
