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Virgin pupils in line for scholarship

By Mudiaga Affe

The Executive Director, Just for You Media, Mrs. Adunni Adediran, has said that the non-governmental organisation has launched a project aimed at rewarding moral virtues among Nigerian youths.

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To achieve this objective, female pupils who keep their virginity stand to receive scholarships up to the university level from the organisation.

Adediran who canvassed the return of sound morality through the encouragement of pupils and the youths to keep their virginity until their wedding night, expressed worry at the high rate of immorality among pupils during the week in Lagos.

She told newsmen that her NGO would be collaborating with a Lagos-based private hospital to start the campaign tagged, ‘The Nigerian Virgin Girls‘ to discourage promiscuity among youths.

According to her, the campaign is aimed at bringing pupils and youths together with a view to identifying those of them that are still virgins.

She added that, those found undefiled would be offered automatic scholarships and encouraged to remain so until they get married.

Adediran noted that in the past, virginity among unmarried ladies was common, but ”as the years rolled by, the culture has been eroded.”

She said that the virtuous culture of being a virgin before getting married, which was the pride of parents, has become a thing of the past.

She attributed the trend to the poor moral state of young girls.

”It is believed by most Nigerians that young spinsters lose their virginity at the age of 16, when they probably would still be in their secondary schools. This moral culture has been eroded from our cultural belief and practice. It should be stopped,” she said.

Adediran said that if the culture was maintained, the spread of the HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases would be reduced in the society.

She added that the campaign also sought to reduce sex before marriage, promiscuity and marital infidelity.

”It is time we rekindled the old culture and value where young and old spinsters were expected to keep their body sacrosanct for their would-be spouses. A culture where virginity is seen as a pride and celebrated on the eve of marriage,” she said.

Adediran expressed the hope that young ladies between ages 15-30 and above, who had not had sex, would be bold to step out and identify with the concept.

She said that as part of the process of kick-starting the concept, gynaecologists, led by Dr. Naheem-Deen Ekemode, would perform virginity confirmation test on the young ladies.

Adediran said that those who passed the test would be awarded certificates that would qualify them for the scholarship.

”They will also be presented with gifts such as gold wristwatches and jewellery, and will constantly be counselled to maintain that status until they are ready for marriage,” she said.

She said that the programme, billed to kick off on January 24 in Lagos, would be an annual event.