Government at all levels must synergize efforts – Wike

The Rivers State Government says government at all levels must synergize efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children in the country.
The state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, stated this during the flag-off ceremony of Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt, on Thursday

Represented by his Deputy, Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo, the governor said a survey conducted by the United Nations Education and Children Fund (UNECEF) indicates that the population of the out-of-school children in Nigeria has risen from 10.5million to 13.2million; the highest in the world.
According to the governor, “most of these children are in Nigeria’s Northern states of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Zamfara, where Boko Haram and bandits have held, besieged and disrupted normal academic activities. These criminals or terrorist gangs who believe that ‘Education is evil’ have destroyed several school’s facilities and kidnapped hundreds of students which had resulted in the closure of many schools in those states”.

The state chief executive, who said there has been a few cases of cult-related and communal crises in some parts of Rivers State, which have sacked some communities and rendered them as refugees, disclosed that last month, the state government approved N400million for the resettlement of Ekporo community in Eleme Local Government Area of the state.

He expressed the hope that the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Humanitarian and Emergency Services would look in the direction of the state as it is being done in other parts of the country, in the spirit of national unity, adding that some coastal communities are also prone to regular flooding.
The governor, who said the educational policy thrust of the state was on course, revealed that several tertiary institutions, secondary and primary schools have been rehabilitated and equipped, noting that the number of out-of-school children which was 110,654 has reduced to 36,015, which is 32% reduction success.