By Nkechinyere Ewa
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ebonyi State, Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, has pledged to tackle child hawking, child labour and the practice of sending children away from their communities to work as domestic helpers if elected governor in 2027.
Odii made the promise during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, where he identified poverty, unemployment and inadequate access to education as major factors driving families to send their children into domestic work and street trading.
He said his administration would focus on youth empowerment, education and skills acquisition as part of measures to address the economic conditions responsible for child labour.
“We’ll be reeducating our people. The youths, some of them, we train them in skills acquisition, building skills acquisition centres,” Odii said.
He disclosed plans to establish skills-acquisition centres across the 13 local government areas of the state, where young people would receive practical training in trades including carpentry, POP installation, tailoring, animal husbandry and fishery.
According to him, each centre would have the capacity to accommodate about 3,000 people, translating to about 39,000 Ebonyians across the state.
“That means if we do that, we’re accommodating about 39,000 Ebonyians,” he said.
Odii also promised to make education a major priority through scholarships and improved learning environments, arguing that children should remain in school rather than being forced into hawking or domestic work because of poverty.
He said his administration would equally invest in agriculture, healthcare, rural infrastructure and job creation to improve household incomes and reduce the economic pressure on families.
The PDP candidate said Ebonyi’s agricultural and mineral resources could be better harnessed through mechanised farming, improved rural roads and policies capable of attracting private-sector investment.
He maintained that child labour should not be tackled through prohibition alone, but by addressing the poverty and unemployment that push families into sending their children away.
Odii said creating economic opportunities within Ebonyi would enable families to keep their children in school and reduce their vulnerability to exploitation, while also providing young people with opportunities for employment and self-employment.
