British charity founder urges FG to establish out-of-school agency
By Ruth Oketunde
The founder of the British charity, IA-Foundation, Mrs Ibironke Adeagbo has urged the Federal Government to establish an agency that would tackle Nigeria’s out-of-school crisis.
Adeagbo, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the out-of-school crisis in the West African country, where some 20.2 million are currently out of school.
On Sept. 2, 2022, the UN agency UNESCO published a report that 20.2 million children in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation were currently out of school.
British-born Adeagbo, who has been leading an international campaign to end the out-of-school problem in Nigeria, noted that Nigeria must think outside the box to save the future of its children.
She urged the government took urgent steps to bring millions of kids roaming the streets back to the classrooms.
Adeagbo urged the incoming government to be decisive in ensuring that education was given its pride of place in Nigeria.
The top British civil servant, said that she was disturbed by the huge army of hopeless kids, roaming Nigerian streets from day to day to make a living instead of acquiring education.
“I think the way out is for the federal government to set up an agency to tackle the out-of-school problem just like the government did in setting up a commission to handle issues in Nigeria’s Niger Delta.
Adeagbo said that the foundation has picked up about 100 children on the streets of Nigeria and ensured that they were placed in schools to acquire basic education in various states in the country.
She expressed worry that Bayelsa in the South-South had also joined the list of states in Nigeria with high number of out-of-school children.
The IA-Foundation chief executive officer said that the group would engage various interests in the UK to assist Nigeria in ensuring that children got access to education as and when due.
On March 18, IA-Foundation staged a charity show in London to raise funds and global awareness on the out-of-school crisis in Nigeria.
Top Nigerians envoys, including a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, voiced their concerns on the out-of-school problem in the West African country.
Resource-rich nation has been grappling with various problems, including persistent insurgency which has forced many children out of school, especially in the country’s north.
The dreaded Boko Haram sect has held sway in Nigeria’s expansive north, fighting to discourage western education, killing people and destroying learning infrastructure. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Sadiya Hamza
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