By Abdullahi M. Gulloma
President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday ordered the Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to inject N1.6 billion into the new trust fund for the safe school initiative as part of measures to reposition education in the North-east where Boko Haram insurgents had done so much damage.
Okonjo-Iweala, who spoke to State House correspondents after a meeting with the stakeholders, including former Prime Minister of United Kingdom, Mr. Gordon Brown, and Governors Kashim Shettima and Ibrahim Geidam of Borno and Yobe states, respectively, said the private sector was also putting in N1.6 million in the initiative.
She said: “We met with the president who has kicked off the safe school initiative and Brown, former UK’s Prime minister is here, the envoy of the secretary general of United Nations bringing the wishes and support of the intentional community to back Mr. President’s initiative on safe schools.
“We have got the excellencies the governors of Borno and Yobe states and we will be joined by the governor of Adamawa state tomorrow (today), who are going to be working wth us to make the communities safe and the schools safer so that our children who are in these areas can come back to school.
“And Mr President has kicked off this initiative by opening and instructing that I open a trust fund which we have already put N1.6 billion. “The private sector is also putting N1.6 million, His Excellency Gordon Brown is going to be raising some resources and the governors are also putting in commitment.
Also speaking, Brown said: “Every child is special, precious and unique,” adding that “I have come here with the UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon giving me his support to do so to send our sympathies and our solidarity and out support to the children of Chibok who have been cruelly kidnapped and abducted and to give your support to the families of these girls and to the whole communities in Borno state.”
On his part, Governor Kashim Shettima said that the process would be devoid of politics, stressing that the period calls for sobriety, maturity and unity of purpose.
Also speaking, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam said the initiative would begin in three states because “we are the most affected areas in terms of the insurgencies.”
“We promise to give him all the necessary cooperation to ensure that the programme succeeds. We are also going to partner both with him and the federal government under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that this programme becomes successful at the end of the day.”
