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World Bank Unveils Project To Upgrade 490 Secondary Schools

Published

2 months ago

July 29, 2025

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The Nasarawa State Government on Monday commenced the World Bank’s Adolescent Girls Initiative For Learning And Empowerment project, aimed at improving 490 public secondary schools across the 13 local government areas of the state.

Speaking while flagging off the project in Lafia, the state capital, Governor Abdullahi Sule noted that the project was approved following the payment of a N150million counterpart fund by the state government.

He explained that with the AGILE project, the state government now has the opportunity to address the challenges of access, retention and quality of girls’ education at the secondary schools in the state.

While commending the Federal Ministry of Education for considering the state for the School Improvement Grant, Sule reiterated his administration’s commitment towards supporting the World Bank’s AGILE project to succeed in the state.

The governor, therefore, appealed to the School-Based Management Committees and other key stakeholders to manage the available resources judiciously in line with the work approved plan, urging them to be transparent and accountable in the discharge of their responsibilities.

Sule said, “The programme is aimed at addressing the lack of completion of education by adolescent girls, particularly in secondary schools, through providing support to schools, families and communities, and also to empower girls with relevant skills for self-development.

“It is important to state that at the take-off of the programme in Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Education set out for participants the requirements for the initiative.

“I am happy to inform you that, having met all the requirements, Nasarawa State was selected for participation in the programme.

“The state government has since released the mandated N150million. We have also initiated the recruitment of qualified teachers to be posted to the new schools that will be constructed under the project in the coming months.”

He, therefore, noted that the flag off of the school improvement grant represents the continuation of the state government’s impacts, as funds will be disbursed directly to eligible public secondary schools to upgrade infrastructure, provide essential learning materials, improve Water, Sanitation and Hygiene facilities, and create a self-inclusive learning environment for girls across the state.

On her part, the Nasarawa State Project Coordinator of AGILE, Aishatu Isoga, said the project development objective was to expand secondary education opportunities for adolescent girls in targeted areas across 21 states of the country.

She further noted that the project’s main focus is on adolescent girls between the ages of 10 to 20, especially those from vulnerable backgrounds who are at risk of dropping out of school.

Isoga mentioned the project interventions to include construction and rehabilitation of schools to improve access to quality secondary education, social behavioural change and mobilising support for girls’ education and empowerment through advocacies, sensitisations and campaigns to mitigate demand-side constraints, among others.

“It is worth noting that one of the key deliverables of AGILE is the School Improvement Grant, which we are flagging off today.

“A total of 515 public secondary schools across the state will benefit in three categories: 331 small grants, 159 medium grants, and 25 large grants, which will be disbursed in two phases.

“The first phase targets small and medium grants (490 schools). This grant is a school-level funding mechanism that empowers school communities to take direct charge of their development priorities. Schools are expected to implement physical upgrades based on the approved School Implementation Plan developed by School-Based Management Committees,” she added.

Earlier in his welcome address, the state Commissioner for Education, John Mamman, while thanking all the stakeholders involved in the project, pledged the ministry’s commitment to ensure the smooth take-off of the project across the 13 LGAs of the state.

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NiMet Predicts Three-day Rain, Thunderstorms From Monday

Published

12 hours ago

September 21, 2025

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JUST IN: Ooni Visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja In Ibadan

Published

17 hours ago

September 21, 2025

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The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Sunday, paid a visit to the Olubadan designate, Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The PUNCH reports that Oba Ladoja will be installed as the 44th Olubadan on Friday, September 26, 2025, following the demise of the 43rd Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who joined his ancestors on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 90 years.

The two paramount rulers are currently exchanging pleasantries.

Details later…

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JUST IN: FG Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licenses Over Unpaid Fees

Published

18 hours ago

September 21, 2025

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The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses.

These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.

The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his special assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja.

The minister explained that the directive was issued due to the companies’ failure to comply with the requirement of paying their annual service fees.

The latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3, 794 including,619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.

By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.

The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government.

“These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”

Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.

“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder, while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites, is over.

“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” the minister said.

He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.

“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities.”

In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, disclosed that there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.

He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.

He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints of several licensees who claimed to have paid to the Federal Government through Remita and had to be reconciled.

Earlier this month, the DG MCO had hinted that more mining licences would be revoked as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and protect investors from fraudsters.

According to Nkom, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.

This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents.