Gov. Ortom urge parents to monitor activities of their children on the Internet

Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue has advised parents to closely monitor the activities of children hooked on the internet.

“There are many negative posts on the cyberspace and they spur negative actions; parents must be more observant and be determined to protect their children,” Ortom said on Tuesday in Makurdi.

Ortom, who gave the advice during an interactive session with Benue women, said that society was driven by the kind of information available to it.

"Information is power; it can make or mar a any society or its administration. Parents must always be on the watch,” he said.

The governor suggested more interaction between parents and children, and advised parents to make it a duty to counsel the youths against negative pages.

He said that most crises and threats of insecurity had often resulted from information gathered from the cyberspace, and particularly noted that such information usually “move with the speed of light”.

The governor commended the women for promoting growth in the agriculture, education, health and other sectors, and called for more efforts toward a better Benue.

In her remarks, the Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ladi Ajene-Ishegbe, said that the session was a platform for women to interact with government for first-hand information on government activities.

She urged women to monitor children against social vices and violence, noting that women were usually the worst victims of crises.

Also speaking, Mrs. Grace Okochi, President, Benue chapter of the National Council for Women Societies, urged women to vie for more elective positions so as to promote their interests.

“We have only seven women seeking local government elective positions in the 23 councils. The elections are coming up on June 3, so we want more women to come out,” she said.

Prof. Leticia Nyitse of the Benue State University, in her speech, appealed for the promotion of girl-child education and the reduction of school fees for female students.

She urged the government to look into the training and retraining of teachers toward a better education system, and called for the employment of more qualified women to teach.