Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima has disclosed that the most powerful tool that can be given to the girl child is education.
He made the declaration recently at the opening of an International Conference on Girl Child Education in Nigeria, held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said: “Whatever reforms we adopt to build a safe place for educating the girl child must be championed form our communities. Policymaking involves all of us and we must engage local leaders; traditional and religious leaders to understand the implications of failing to educate the future of this nation. The most powerful tool we can offer the girl child is education.
“Therefore, we must enhance educational programmes that inform girls and women about their rights and the risks they face if denied the opportunities to make informed choices, especially in matters of health.
“We must also work with our partners in the donor community including the World Bank, African Development Bank and other multilateral institutions to make a generational difference. While we remain grateful for their interventions, we are still looking forward to deepening this partnership.”
The Vice President, who was represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff in his office, Ibrahim Hassan-Hadeja, stressed the importance of financing education, adding that it is an obligation that must be upheld.
“Education financing remains a critical aspect of our strategy in the last few years; we have seen a significant increase in education expenditure. For example, in 2022, states spent one trillion naira on education, representing 12% of total expenditures. By 2024, States committed 2.4 trillion to education, while the federal government allocated 2.2 trillion. This brings the combined total allocation to 4.6 trillion naira.
“Although states have 14% of their budgets dedicated to education, we must aim higher. Our campaign to see 15 to 20% of the state budget allocated to education is not just a target, but a necessity as it is the surest way to guarantee the future of our children and our nation.
“The issue of girl child education is for every nation, but in our part of the world, her vulnerability is especially pronounced. Her education is more than a moral obligation. It is the stabilizing force of our economic and social order, for every additional year a girl remains in school, her future earning potential increases, infant mortality rates decrease, and poverty levels in communities fail,” he added.
The Vice President warned against the dangers associated with out-of-school children saying: “The stakes are too high for us to hesitate. The risk posed by each out-of-school child should concern us all, and what we need is a concerted, multi-sectoral approach. The Federal Government, States, Local Governments, civil society and our partners in the donor community must come together with a singular focus, ensuring that every Nigerian child, regardless of gender or geography, receives quality education.”
