TheCable

Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, has promised girls in the state education setup nine years of free education.

El-Rufai said this at the council chambers of the government house when he attended the screening of the documentary, He named me Malala.

The screening was jointly organised by Youthhubafrica, a non-governmental initiative, the Centre for Girls Education and the Kaduna state government.

El-Rufai said the school enrolment figures in public primary and secondary schools have jumped from 1.1million to 1.8million since the commencement of the school feeding programme.

He added that government was expecting the figures to rise to 2.2 million when the new school session begins in September.

El-Rufai speaing at the screening

Hadiza el-Rufai, wife of the governor, who also attended the programme, expressed her commitment to continuously supporting every effort that guarantees access to education for young girls, saying it is the surest way to lift them and their families out of poverty.

“During the course of my work with young girls, I have come to realise that they are very rich in ideas,” she said.

“Unfortunately, being ‘idea rich’ does not cut it anymore, it is integral to complement these ideas with opportunities’ and we who are influencers in society, owe it as a duty to create these opportunities.”

Rotimi Olawale, executive director Youthhubafrica, highlighted some of the challenges faced by young girls especially in northern Nigeria.

He also lamented the high dropout rates among girls, saying the time has come for encouraging girls to aspire to higher education levels.

Olawale of Youthhubafrica

The screening of He Named Me Malala is part of a Youthhubafrica initiative, in collaboration with the Malala Fund and with support from Participant Media, to screen the documentary to school girls, community and traditional leaders, and policy makers in the country.

The documentary chronicles the remarkable story of Malala Yusufzai who defied all odds, including a terrorist attack, in pursuit of her dream for education.

The project has so far screened the documentary to up to 10,000 persons in 30 cities across he country, as part of efforts to encourage girl education.