2027 elections: Governorship candidate pledges to end child hawking, househelp culture in Ebonyi

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ebonyi state, Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, has said his administration will tackle child hawking and the movement of children into domestic work by addressing poverty, unemployment and limited access to skills and education.

Odii, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, said many families were compelled by economic hardship to send their children away as domestic helpers or into street trading, stressing that government must create opportunities for families to survive without depending on child labour.

He proposed the establishment of skills-acquisition centres across the state, where young people would receive practical training in areas including carpentry, POP installation, tailoring, animal husbandry, fishery and other vocational trades.

According to him, the centres would be established across the 13 local government areas, with each facility designed to accommodate about 3,000 people.

“That means if we do that, we’re accommodating about 39,000 Ebonyians,” Odii said, describing the programme as part of his plan to equip youths with skills that could translate into employment and self-employment.

He said his administration would also prioritise education through scholarships and improved learning environments, arguing that children should remain in school instead of being pushed into hawking or domestic work because of their families’ economic circumstances.

Odii said the proposed intervention would be complemented by investment in agriculture, healthcare, rural infrastructure and job creation, with the aim of increasing household incomes and reducing poverty.

The PDP candidate also identified mechanised farming, improved rural roads and private-sector investment as areas through which Ebonyi’s agricultural and mineral resources could be converted into employment opportunities.

He said tackling child labour should go beyond simply prohibiting the practice, arguing that government must address the economic conditions that push families into sending children away for domestic work or street trading.

“We’ll be re-educating our people. The youths, some of them, we train them in skills acquisition, building skills acquisition centres,” he said.

Odii said his proposed human-capital development programme would form part of a broader strategy to reduce poverty, create jobs and diversify Ebonyi’s economy if elected governor in 2027.