According to the United Nations International Children’s
Emergency Fund (UNICEF), 12.4 million children in Nigeria have never attended
school and 5.9 million dropped out of school early.
UNICEF further said Nigeria’s out of school population
accounts for 15 percent of the global total, with more than 50 percent of girls
not attending school in basic education level.
The president also appointed Tijani Hashim-Abbas as his
special adviser on chieftaincy matters.
Ajuri Ngelale, special adviser to the president on media and
publicity, announced the appointments in a statement on Friday.
Ja’afaru-Isa was military governor of Kaduna state from 1993
to 1996, while Hashim-Abbas is the Sarkin Sudan Kano.
“President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of
Brigadier-General Lawal Ja’afar Isa (Rtd) as Executive Secretary of the
National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education,” the
statement reads.
“The President has also approved the appointment of Alhaji
Tijani Hashim Abbas as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Chieftaincy
Matters.
“General Ja’afar Isa
is a respected leader and was Military Administrator of Kaduna State from 1993
to 1996, while Alhaji Tijani Hashim Abbas is the Sarkin Sudan Kano.
“The President anticipates that the new appointees will
bring their vast experience into these important roles, which impact the very
core of society, while ensuring that his administration’s drive to guarantee
Nigeria’s out-of-school children the most comprehensive education is realized
in the superceding interest of the nation’s future.”
