NEW INITIATIVE, EKITI AGILE PROJECT PARTNER TO EMPOWER GIRLS, END CHILD MARRIAGE

 

RIDER: WORLD BANK-SUPPORTED PROGRAMME REACHES 203 PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN EKITI

The New Initiative for Social Development, in collaboration with the Ekiti State Ministry of Education through the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project, has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting girls’ rights, promoting education and ending child marriage.

This formed part of activities marking the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child at Government College, Oye-Ekiti, where stakeholders called for greater investment in girls’ education, life skills and safe spaces.

The AGILE Project Coordinator in Ekiti State, Mrs Yewande Adesua, disclosed that the World Bank-supported initiative had reached 203 public secondary schools across the state’s 16 local government areas.

She said interventions included the renovation of more than 1,468 classrooms, provision of 4,202 computers and smartboards, and installation of solar power systems and internet facilities in 130 schools.

Adesua added that 2,808 students benefited from the first cohort of the Conditional Cash Transfer programme, while 37 girls graduated from the Second Chance Education initiative, with 13 trained in hairdressing and 24 in fashion design.

Speaking on child protection, Barrister Ruth Oluwaleke of the New Initiative for Social Development stressed the need to uphold children’s rights, noting that decisions concerning them must prioritise their best interests.

She urged girls facing pressure to marry early or other threats to their rights to seek help from trusted adults and relevant authorities.

An SS3 student and Executive Director of the Centre for Gender Space Initiative, Oreoluwa Ojo-Olusegun, called on parents to listen to girls and involve them in decisions affecting their future.

She condemned gender stereotypes that limit girls’ opportunities, insisting that they deserve equal access to education, leadership and personal development.

Similarly, Miss Ajayi Adeshewa of St. Augustine Comprehensive High School, Oye-Ekiti, identified poverty, cultural beliefs, gender inequality and insecurity as factors fuelling child marriage, advocating education and life skills as tools for prevention.

Mrs Jumoke Omisore of FELA also called for improved menstrual health support in schools, including access to sanitary pads, clean water and adequate toilet facilities.

The speakers urged sustained collaboration among government, development partners, parents and communities to safeguard girls’ rights, keep them in school and equip them with the skills to build independent futures.