Sokoto Gov’s Wife Urges Parents to Enroll Adolescent Girls in Schools
From SHEHU M Wamakko
They wife of Sokoto State Governor, Hajiya Fatima Ahmad Aliyu, has appealed to parents to continue enrolling their adolescent daughters in schools to ensure inclusive education and equal opportunities for all children.
She made the call while flagging off the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme for the first cohort of 41,825 female beneficiaries under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), held at Government House, Sokoto.
Hajiya Fatima explained that the AGILE programme was designed to provide financial support to families and reduce barriers hindering girls’ education.
She commended the initiative and its partners for their interventions, which she said had significantly boosted school enrollment, retention, and completion among adolescent girls in the state.
The governor’s wife congratulated the beneficiaries and urged their parents to ensure the assistance was used strictly for the purpose of advancing their daughters’ education.
Speaking at the event, the State Project Coordinator, Dr. Mansur Isah Bihari, outlined AGILE’s achievements in Sokoto since its inception in August 2024.
These, he said, include the renovation of 440 junior and senior secondary schools, refurbishment of 749 classrooms, provision of solar-powered boreholes, construction of 214 toilet facilities, and planting of 4,400 tree seedlings in schools.
In their goodwill messages, representatives of the Commissioners for Basic and Secondary Education, Women and Children Affairs, and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Aminu Bala (Dan Iyan Sokoto), commended the government’s commitment to bridging gaps in girl-child education.
They pledged continued institutional and traditional support for the programme.
Also speaking, the National Coordinator of AGILE, Mrs. Amina Buba Haruna, noted that the initiative is being implemented in 18 states of the federation to tackle challenges in adolescent girls’ education.
Delivering a vote of thanks, the State Chairman of the School-Based Management Committees, Alhaji Aliyu Ajiyan Gobir, described the intervention as unprecedented and lauded the state government for prioritising the education of girls.
The highlight of the event was the symbolic presentation of ₦40,000 cheques to selected beneficiaries from Nana Girls Secondary School and Government Day Secondary School, Moreh.
