News
Youth Ministry, AGILE Project Intensifies Effort towards Empowering Girl-Child
Joel Ajayi
Federal Ministry of Youth Development and Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment AGILE Project has intensified to ensure that the girls-child do not suffer extremely in poor and vulnerable households but rather give them quality education to give them better future.
The Minister of Youth Development Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim gave this hint on Thursday in Abuja when the AGILE Project Coordinator led her delegation during a courtesy visit on collaboration to improve the life of every girl child in the country.
The AGILE project was launched in 2023 to increase access to secondary education among marginalized adolescent girls in Nigeria.
While speaking the Minister said: “The challenges faced by the girl child are numerous ranging from gender bias, lack of education, culturally imbibed malpractices, human trafficking, child marriage, poor health and sanitation amongst others.
“That is why the government is working hard to address these challenges through innovative efforts and by working with other partners who are passionate about these issues.”
While speaking on the ministry’s readiness to support the girl’s child education, Dr Bio Ibrahim said the government is ready to support any project that is meant for the lifting of youth in the country.
Speaking earlier, the Director/National Coordinator of AGILE Project Amina Buba Haruna said that girl education constitutes the future of Nigeria and there is a need to nurture it to its growth.
She said that they are not only taking the girl’s child out of the street but also creating an enabling environment for all the less privileged ones.
Mrs Haruna expressed that educating adolescent girls is one of the primary approaches to addressing the challenges of development in the country.
She said that the project has 18 participating states adding that the project is 5 years, as the 2028 closing date for the project.
News
Ogunlesi backs Tinubu reforms as FIRS chairman Adedeji highlights export-led economy
Joel Ajayi
After a high-level meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja, Nigerian-born global investor Adebayo Ogunlesi expressed renewed confidence in the country’s economic reforms, indicating potential mega investments across energy, aviation, and port sectors.
He was joined in that optimism by Zacch Adedeji, Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), who stressed that the reforms were laying the groundwork for an export-driven economy.
Speaking to journalists after the closed-door meeting, Ogunlesi praised the sweeping policy changes under Tinubu’s administration, including the removal of subsidies, tax reforms, and the revival of a refinery already exporting aviation fuel.
“We had an excellent meeting where we discussed how to put Nigeria front and center for international investment. The President was very encouraging, and we shared useful suggestions on driving economic growth,” Ogunlesi said.
Although he declined to reveal specific details, Ogunlesi confirmed that his firm is actively investing in Nigeria and assessing new opportunities.
“Watch this space. Nigeria is not yet the most exciting investment destination, but that’s what we are working on,” he teased.
Pressed on the sectors of interest, Ogunlesi highlighted energy, gas, aviation, ports, and renewables. Drawing on his firm’s experience with LNG projects in Texas and Australia, he noted Nigeria’s massive untapped gas reserves.
On aviation, he acknowledged his reputation as “the guy who bought Gatwick Airport” and signaled interest in similar ventures locally.
He also admitted that one of his companies operates ports in Cotonou and Lomé but none in Nigeria, a point Tinubu reportedly challenged him on.
“He forgave me but said, ‘you have to bring port investment to Nigeria,’” Ogunlesi recounted with a smile.
International investor Hakeem Bello-Osagie, who was also present, underscored the importance of diaspora participation in Nigeria’s growth story.
“When Nigerians at home and abroad invest in Nigeria, it sends a strong signal to the world,” he said, lauding Tinubu’s policies for making the country “investable.”
Echoing the sentiment, FIRS chairman Adedeji described the reforms as the foundation for an export-led economy.
“We’ve done the fundamentals, and now it is time to deliver growth,” he said.
With global players signaling confidence, the momentum for Nigeria’s economic repositioning is gaining ground, setting the stage for transformative investments in key industries.
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