Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has called for the effective utilisation of the country’s abundant natural potential, emphasising that its greatest asset is its people.
She said investing in early childhood development remains critical, not only to improve growth opportunities for children but also to shape and sharpen their focus.
She stated this during an engagement with a delegation from the World Bank at the State House Abuja.
She said that “the Nigerian government has been carrying out its statutory duties of ensuring that it embraces anything that can make the nation and her citizen’s progress in all facets.”
”The population size of Nigeria alone is our advantage, because Nigeria is a great nation.
”The Ministries have also been doing their best, for the benefit of our nation, with environment, sanitation because environmental cleanliness is very key, I worked with the Minister of Environment to an extent and that was why we started the Green Challenge.
”You talked on multi sectoral approach, that is what we have been doing. I will say that Mr President has gotten himself a wonderful team,” she said.
Eradicating Tuberculosis
The First Lady also spoke on the efforts Nigeria is making in addressing the challenge of eradicating tuberculosis.
“When it comes to tuberculosis we went out for sensitisation, and promoted the campaign, and now, talking about our children, those are the joy of our nation, if we have to do a lot,” the first lady explained.
She assured her guests that her office would continue to work with wives of state Governors to drive critical interventions for the sake of the children.
Mrs Tinubu also disclosed that plans are on to introduce a special program e that will ensure children are fed while in school, in order to encourage school enrollment and attendance.
She said; “We are looking forward to school feeding. I can assure that before we finish our tenure, it would have been properly established because even Mr President is very passionate about this, even when he was the Governor in Lagos State.”
In his remarks, the World Bank’s Country Director, Dr Mathew Verghis called for expanded partnerships with Nigerian leaders to support the Early Childhood Development (ECD).
Dr Verghis said that “the World Bank champions the ECD as Nigeria’s most critical long-term investment with framework that focuses on several key areas of joint project implementation in five to six-year.”
He further explained that the early childhood development strategy encompasses boosting nutrition and healthy living in Nigerian children.
Dr Verghis further explained that those investments from pregnancy to age five yield strong annual returns by enhancing cognitive skills, lowering health costs, and breaking multi-dimensional poverty cycles.
”Every five or six years, we reframe our programmes in Nigeria. Nigeria is unsurprisingly one of World bank’s largest partners and our office here is one of the largest in the world.
”In the frame work, investing in people is an important focus of the world bank, we are partners in education and nutrition programmes we have programmes on skills. We recognise the importance of investing in people,” he said.
The World Bank’s official said for Nigeria to benefit from the ECD, the First Lady can help to use her platform to Fastrack a multi sectoral approach for the programmes to work in the country.
In submissions across key portfolios including growth and learning outcomes, education and sanitation, the World Bank applauded the alignment between the First Lady’s interventions, particularly ongoing campaign against child malnutrition, and the bank’s programmes.
