Niger State Government to Provide One Million Computers and Tablets to Public Schools
By Abdulkadir Yahaya, Minna
The Niger State Government is set to distribute one million computers and tablets to all government schools in the state.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago announced this initiative at a conference for traditional and religious leaders on the importance of girls’ education in the North Central geopolitical zone of Nigeria, held in Minna.
The program is organized by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), the Niger State Ministry of Basic Education, and the Sultan Foundation.
Governor Bago emphasized that in a world that is advancing technologically, the acquisition of these computers and tablets—which is already underway—is essential to ensure students in government schools have access to these resources.
Additionally, the state government has laid fiber optic cables to provide free internet services to public schools and other government institutions, with a pilot scheme set to commence soon in Minna.
The governor reiterated the government’s commitment to the AGILE vision, aiming to ensure that the girl child receives an education. He introduced a 10-year program that will award scholarships to 1,000 female students each year to study nursing, medicine, and other medical-related courses.
Governor Bago highlighted the importance of empowering girls, point out that various initiatives, including a Call Centre Project, will enable many females to become call operators.
The Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alh. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, remarked that the ultimate goal of the conference is for traditional and religious leaders to advocate for girls’ education.
The Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, represented by the Director in the Ministry and Principal of Federal Government College Minna, Suraju Darda’u, underscored the significant role of traditional and religious leaders in society.
He encouraged them to increase awareness among their communities on the necessity of educating female children.
The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Dr. Hadiza Asabe Mohammed, acknowledged that the North Central geopolitical zone, like many other regions, faces various challenges, including low literacy rates, gender inequality, and limited access to quality education, particularly for girls.
However, she expressed optimism that the conference would recognize education as the key to unlocking young women’s potential for better job opportunities and meaningful contributions to societal growth and development.
Project Coordinator for the AGILE Project, Amina Buba Haruna, provided an overview of the initiative, stating that its objective is to improve the status of adolescent girls in secondary schools and to help them become positive role models.
She noted that policies introduced by Governor Umaru Bago—such as the domestication of children’s rights and the adoption of the national policy on gender education—were influential factors in Niger State being selected as one of the 18 benefitting states.
In their goodwill messages, various leaders including Alh. Dalhatu Aliyu Makaman Nupe (Chairman, Jama’atu Nasril Islam Niger State), Sheikh Adamu Yakatun (State Chairman, Imams Forum), Bishop Bulus Dauda Yohanna (Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, Niger State), and Hajiya Hauwa Kulu Abdullahi (State Ameera of FOMWAN) recognized that empowering girls through education is a catalyst for change and a beacon of hope.
During the event, the Sultan presided over the investiture of Hajiya Fatima Umaru Bago, the wife of the Niger State Governor, as the Ambassador of Girl Child Education in the North Central Zone.
Following the investiture, she expressed that her commitment to promoting girls’ education is inspired by her late father, an educationist who ensured all his daughters received an education. She called for a collective effort to dismantle the barriers to girls’ education, not only in the North Central Zone but throughout the country.
