The First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has congratulated all Nigerian children, acknowledging them as the heartbeat of the nation.<\/p>\n
She made this statement during the launch of the special <\/span>Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE)<\/span> Additional Financing to States, and the AGILE Games Award Ceremony, held at the State House, Abuja. The event was organized to coincide with the commemoration of <\/span>Children\u2019s Day 2025<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Senator Tinubu highlighted the importance of the World Bank-financed AGILE project, which is aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school children and ensuring that the girl child remains in school. She said the initiative is a testament to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu\u2019s unwavering commitment to making education a pillar of national development.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEvery child represented here today has demonstrated what is possible when opportunity meets support,\u201d the First Lady remarked.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou all have shown us that the good seeds planted are already bearing fruit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She encouraged the children present to take full advantage of the opportunities given to them, regardless of whether they received awards at the event.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI seize this opportunity to say to every child here: whether or not you receive an award today, you are all champions,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n The First Lady also acknowledged the vital role played by leaders at all levels:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTo our governors, traditional rulers, and religious leaders, I thank you all. Your leadership is crucial in mobilizing communities, encouraging school enrolment, and championing girls\u2019 education. Let us continue to stand united in this shared vision.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Senator Tinubu took the opportunity to announce two upcoming programmes under her <\/span>Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI)<\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n 1. <\/span>The Environment Club<\/span> for secondary school students and <\/span>The Environment Society<\/span> for tertiary institution students \u2013 both focused on promoting environmental sustainability through clean-up campaigns and tree planting.<\/span><\/p>\n 2. <\/span>\u201cFlow with Confidence\u201d<\/span>, a programme targeted at adolescent girls in rural communities, which will provide a year\u2019s supply of disposable sanitary pads to support them in staying in school during their menstrual cycles.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTo our dear students, please go to school and complete your education. Staying in school and excelling in your studies will give you the knowledge and skills you need for a good future. Never stop believing in what you can achieve,\u201d she encouraged.<\/span><\/p>\n In his remarks, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, described the AGILE initiative as a landmark effort that deepens Nigeria\u2019s national commitment to education.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, we believe education is not just a human right\u2014it is a national security imperative. This is why every textbook is a brick in the foundation of peace and prosperity. Every school meal is an act of social justice. And every trained teacher is a guardian of our collective future,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n Also speaking, the World Bank Country Director, Mr. Taimur Samad, described AGILE as the <\/span>second-largest project<\/span> funded by the organization globally. He noted that with two-thirds of Nigerian girls dropping out before completing their education, AGILE aims to reverse this trend by supporting over <\/span>50 million students<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Governors of Borno and Taraba States, representing their colleagues, reaffirmed the commitment of state governments to prioritizing the education of the girl child.<\/span><\/p>\n The event featured the presentation of awards to winners of the AGILE Games across various categories. A touching moment came when a special needs child, Awelewa, presented a painting to the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as a gesture of appreciation.<\/span><\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has congratulated all Nigerian children, acknowledging them as the heartbeat of the nation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24016,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[8970,4675,7255,10795],"class_list":["post-24015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro","tag-girls-education","tag-leaders","tag-oluremi-tinubu","tag-renewed-hope-project"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24015"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24015"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24018,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24015\/revisions\/24018"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}