NEWS
$700M Loan: 11 States Join World Bank Girls’ Education Initiative
An additional $700 million has been greenlit by the World Bank to further support the advancement and growth of the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE).
Project Coordinator Hajia Amina Haruna made this statement during the inauguration of the national steering committee on AGILE in Abuja.
Under the updated funding arrangement, 11 more states providing financial support have joined the initial seven pilot states.
The newly added states in the funding arrangement are Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara.
During the inauguration of the national steering committee on AGILE in Abuja, Project Coordinator Hajia Amina Haruna mentioned that the committee included executive secretaries from SUBEB, Commissioners of Education from 18 states, and pertinent Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).
The AGILE project, supported by the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) and directed towards the Federal Government, is currently underway in seven states.
In Borno, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, and Plateau, the AGILE project, initially costing $500 million, was established with the aim of enhancing secondary education opportunities specifically for girls in those areas.
Haruna highlighted the project’s focus on improving educational access for girls across these seven participating states.
Haruna emphasized the necessity for state governments to ensure the recruitment of qualified teachers for the project to make a substantial impact.
She also stated, “We have reached over 2.4 million beneficiaries across the seven states, with more than 1,341,821 adolescent girls benefiting from the initiative thus far.
“Over 7,967 non functional classrooms have been renovated and in use in the seven states. 84,567 teaching and learning materials to schools and in use.”
During the committee’s inauguration, Minister of Education Prof. Tahir Mamman urged both committee members and state chapters to prioritize the sustainability of the project.
Mamman highlighted the pressing challenge of removing millions of out-of-school children from the streets as one of the major hurdles.
He said: “If we can register success in the 18 states, we will be half way through in reducing the number of out-of-school children in the country.
“We need to scale up what we have to reach other states. The project has assisted us in a template we can adopt to work out deliverables in reducing the number of out-of-school children.”
During the inauguration, Minister of State for Education Dr. Yusuf Sununu emphasized the event’s objective: to implement system reforms that expand access and offer financial incentives for girls’ education.
Sununu urged the commissioners of education to use the available resources wisely.
He also highlighted the substantial efforts made by the federal ministry of education to enhance learning outcomes.
Shubham Chaudhuri, the Country Director of the World Bank, stressed the institution’s dedication to the project, emphasizing its capacity to empower girls to become valuable contributors to their families, communities, and the nation.
Chaudhuri also mentioned that achieving the project’s objectives efficiently would lead to increased World Bank investment in girls’ education.
Otunba Segun Showunmi, a member of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) for 2027, has urged the South-East to assess President Bola Tinubu’s administration based on verifiable projects and measurable results rather than political propaganda.
Showunmi made the call in a statement posted on X on Saturday, urging Nigerians to evaluate the government’s performance based on infrastructure delivery, funds committed to projects and their impact on communities.
He said federal infrastructure initiatives targeting the South-East under Tinubu’s administration deserved serious scrutiny and factual assessment, adding that unfulfilled promises should continue to be pursued until the expected results were delivered.
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“Our message is clear: We will not trade facts for propaganda, nor accountability for political loyalty!” he said.
The political figure challenged critics of the administration to provide evidence to support their claims, while urging those defending the government to present the projects and demonstrate their impact.
He also called on government officials to publish relevant figures, disclose project timelines and provide measurable results, insisting that no public official should be exempt from scrutiny.
According to Showunmi, the South-East deserves infrastructure that supports economic growth, including roads that connect markets, investments that create jobs and policies that expand economic opportunities.
He maintained that political representation must translate into tangible benefits for citizens, stressing that public office should deliver value to the people.
As part of his call to action, Showunmi urged Nigerians to scrutinise government records, challenge misinformation with evidence and demand the completion of outstanding projects.
He further called for public commitments to be matched by measurable delivery, arguing that leadership should be assessed by facts and results rather than political rhetoric.
Ending his statement with the slogan, “Asiwaju is a goal,” Showunmi called for accountability and greater inclusion of the South-East in Nigeria’s development.
Showunmi is associated with The Alternative and is a member of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 elections.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) on Saturday announced a temporary road closure near Apostolic Church, inward Toll Gate, to allow engineers to install a beam on a height-restriction structure.
The agency said the installation was aimed at preventing high-rise trailers from accessing the newly constructed pedestrian bridge.
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“Currently, one lane has been occupied to facilitate the ongoing construction work, while the remaining two lanes are available to motorists,” LASTMA stated.
The agency advised road users to approach the affected corridor with caution and follow the directions of its personnel deployed to the area.
“Road users are advised to approach the affected corridor with caution and follow the directions of our personnel who are on ground to ensure the smooth flow of vehicular movement,” the statement added.
LASTMA also urged motorists to remain patient while the installation work continued.
“Motorists are encouraged to exercise patience while the installation work is in progress,” the agency stated.
Nigerian national Ekene Chukwuma has said he returned to Nigeria with assistance linked to Oseni Rufai rather than the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), while renewing allegations against the commission’s chairperson, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, over his travel documents.
Chukwuma made the remarks in an interview in which he explained how he returned to Nigeria after spending months at a deportation camp in India.
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“My name is Kenneth Chukwu, from Enugu State,” he said, introducing himself before explaining how he returned to the country.
“I came back here with the assist of Osini Roufai, a good friend of him,” he said.
Chukwuma denied that NiDCOM facilitated his return, alleging that the commission had published false information about his case.
“NiDCOM made a lots of false, uh, news acquisition against me, which is still in Abike Dabiri handle in Twitter,” he said.
He also accused Dabiri-Erewa of sharing his expired international passport and a travel certificate he claimed was issued six months after he entered the detention camp.
“He also, she also posted my international passport that expired. He also, she also posted my TC that issued after 6 months,” he said.
His comments renew questions surrounding the handling of his case and the circumstances under which he obtained the documents needed to return to Nigeria.
Chukwuma’s detention in India previously sparked a public disagreement between ARISE News presenter Oseni Rufai and Dabiri-Erewa over NiDCOM’s response to reports of his situation.
Oseni raised concerns about Chukwuma’s detention and the commission’s handling of the case, while Dabiri-Erewa defended NiDCOM’s position and explained the process for submitting information to the commission.
NiDCOM subsequently issued its account of Chukwuma’s detention, stating that he had been arrested in India over a visa overstay and addressing the circumstances surrounding his travel documents.
The differing accounts prompted public debate about the commission’s response to Nigerians facing immigration difficulties abroad.
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