FG, Bauchi Govt Partner To Tackle Menace Of Out-Of-School Children

The Federal Government through the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs), is partnering Bauchi State Government to eradicate the menace of out-of-school children in the state.

This was the outcome of a meeting between the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire and Bauchi state governor, Mr Bala Mohammed.

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Mr Janet Dickson, Head, Public Relations, OSSAP-SDGs, disclosed this in a statement she signed and released to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to the statement, the governor was represented at the meeting by his Deputy Governor, Sen. Baba Tela.

The presidential aide pointed out that of all the socio-economic problems bedeviling the state presently, education should be the number one to tackle, considering the critical role it played in the development of any society.

She maintained that as a matter of policy, development issues were usually prioritised and her office gave priority to education being critical not only to the development and well being of the society, but also central to the attainment of the SDGs as a whole.

“COVID-19 has taught us to put our hands together so that we can always prepare for eventualities.

“The Federal, State and Local Governments coming together and taking action for sustainable development will go a long way in changing the life of our people for the better”.

She pledged to collaborate with Bauchi state government in a way and manner that would make it out-of-school children-free State.

She called on the state government to continue exploring ways and means of improving the already existing relation between the two bodies for the benefit of the people and the nation.

Earlier, the Governor had commended the SSAP-SDGs for the numerous interventions to Bauchi state so far, which immensely benefitted the state most especially in areas of healthcare services, water and education.

He explained that Bauchi state was currently in need of OSSAP-SDGs’ intervention more than ever before due to the fall-out of the Boko Haram insurgency with influx of displaced persons from the neighboring Borno and Yobe states into Bauchi.

Mohammed said that the influx of displaced persons, according to him has over-stretched the little resources available to the state.

He maintained that the state government on its part was working in the area of education, adding that within the last five months his administration had built more schools across the state.

He said the state had 1.5 million out-of-school children which, according to him, is a cause for serious concern.

The governor said this prompted his visit to OSSAP-SDGs to get support in order to get out of the socio-economic problems ravaging the state.

He expressed Bauchi state government’s willingness for the partnership.