North-East gets $50m for Save School Initiative programme

The Save School Initiatives programme for children of communities in the North East affected by the Boko Haram crisis has received a boost with the donation of $50 million by the federal and foreign governments as well as international donors’ agencies.

The Director General of the National Emergency Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi stated this at a meeting of the Safe School Initiative Leaders in Tehran, Iran.

He said the federal government was committed to safeguarding students, teachers and schools’ infrastructures as a top priority of the present administration towards the full realization of the Safe School Initiative in the country.

NEMA’s South West information officer, Ibrahim Farinloye in a statement in Lagos quoted the DG as saying that the federal government has demonstrated its concern by releasing N3billion for the Presidential Initiative in the North East (PINE) and N53billion for the Victims Support Fund (VSF) to address the various emerging issues to mitigate the effects of the fading Boko Haram insurgency.

According to the statement, Alhaji Sidi during the presentation highlighted the major causes of threats to safe schooling and school infrastructures as flood, rain/wind storm and community strife’s.

He added that the Boko Haram insurgency has become the single most significant threat to schools and infrastructure.