Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has emphasized the need to use education as a tool to reduce poverty and empower the girl child in Nigeria.
The Minister stated this during a courtesy visit of the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad on Wednesday at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
She referred to the visit as being apt, underscoring the importance of ensuring access to quality education for girls.
According to the minister, education is the foundation for sustainable development, and investing in the girl child will lead to long-term economic growth and societal transformation.
She expressed confidence that, in the coming years, women will dominate various sectors of the economy due to increased access to education and empowerment initiatives.
Speaking on the Federal Ministry of Education’s Lumina Program, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim assured stakeholders that the initiative would stand the test of time.
She further stressed the need for a strong collaboration between the Ministry of Women Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Education in advancing the emancipation of the girl child in Nigeria.
Earlier, the Honourable Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaibi Said Ahmed, reinforced this commitment by highlighting the alarming statistics from UNICEF, which reveal that 15 million out-of-school children in Nigeria are girls.
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She stated that the Lumina Program is a program strategically designed to target out-of-school children and also target women in terms of creating opportunities for their empowerment.
“It focuses on the well-being and educational advancement of the girl child”.
The program, she noted, will commence with 10,000 communities, providing starter packs to support girls in accessing education and vocational skills.
“When you are fighting poverty, your number one target should be to empower women”.
Ahmad said, “If a woman is economically viable, it is not only her family but the community will be viable and that is why we must reduce poverty by empowering Women”.
In her vote of thanks, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Dr. Maryam Ismaila Keshinro, commended the collaborative efforts between both ministries. She emphasized that the word “Lumina” symbolizes enlightenment and will indeed illuminate the path for girls and women in Nigeria.
Dr. Keshinro reassured the Ministry of Education of full support from the Women Affairs Ministry in ensuring the program’s success.
This initiative marks a significant step toward eliminating barriers to education for girls and fostering gender equality in Nigeria.
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