The World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Shubha Chaudhuri, has recently said that the World Bank was set to give $700 million for adolescent girls education in 19 states of the country. He disclosed it on Monday, during a parliamentary summit, organized by the Office of the Speaker, House of Representatives and the National Population Commission supported by the World Bank in Abuja. According to his statement, the World Bank was committed in supporting Nigeria in empowering adolescent girls and youths.
Chaudhuri’s statement reads, “The key in some ways to helping realise Nigeria’s demographic dividend is to make sure that the girl-child stays in school. We have already provided $500 million in financing and we are about to put in another $700 million consensual financing for adolescent girls. Now it’s going up to 19 states from 7 states across Nigeria. It’s all about keeping adolescent girls in school. It’s about the primary health care, ensuring that maternal, child and reproductive health services are provided. All of these will require support from the government.”
He also added that, “Nigeria has the lowest level of public spending in the world. 11, 12 percent of GDP, that’s not enough to sustain the basic services that every state needs to provide for its people. Basic law and order, primary health care, investing in its people and providing basic infrastructure. Part of the reason that’s not there, is because Nigeria has the lowest level of revenues. A big part of that is there isn’t a trust among citizens, that if citizens pay taxes the states will not use it properly. The National Assembly can play such an important role to ensure accountability. To ensure that every funds or resources that gets past them to the states, are used directly to translate into services for ordinary Nigerians. Especially in these basic areas, keeping girls in school. 5,000 communities across Nigeria, there’s no junior secondary school within walking distance. Would you send your teenage girl to a school far away where they are at risk of getting kidnapped? So how is Nigeria going to pay for those additional 5,000 schools so that adolescent girls stay in school.”
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