The Honourable Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has described the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Mrs. Amina J. Mohammed as an inspiration and a role model to millions of young Nigerians.
The Minister who stated this during a visit by the UN Deputy Secretary to Government Secondary School Kabusa as part of activities to mark her 60th birthday, said the visit will further spur the students to realize their fullest potentials through hard work and determination.
While wishing her a happy birthday, the Minister said: “We are particularly delighted that you will be spending some time in our schools in Kabusa and interacting with the pupils and their teachers. This will really gladden them and we thank you for this”.
Malam Bello disclosed that as part of efforts to ensure that children have access to quality education as contained in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the FCTA has in the last three years, established 25 new secondary schools spread across the FCT in keeping with UNESCO’s recommendation that no child should walk more than 2 kilometers to school.
In the words of the Minister: “Here in the FCT, we share your passion for education as the tool for personal and national growth… We have also placed a premium on education for the girl child as we have 5 fully functional boarding schools for girls spread across the Territory”.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Malam Bashir Mai Borno, the Minister added that entrepreneurial and vocational education were also being prioritized in the FCT with the intention that, upon graduation, students will become self-employed.
The Deputy Secretary General, who was visibly touched by the reception accorded her by the students urged them to focus on their studies as they can be whatever they wish to be with education on their side, adding that “education is the foundation of any great nation… and the first building blocks of your lives is education”
In an interactive session with teachers of the school, Mrs. Amina Mohammed urged the teachers to continue to put in their best in the molding of students under their care while assuring that the UN will continue to support the FCTA in every way possible to ensure that students in the territory get the best education they can have and the teachers get the enabling environment to impact knowledge.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman, FCT Secondary Education Board, Hon Yahaya Musa Muhammad congratulated Mrs. Amina Mohammed on her reappointment as the Deputy Secretary General of the UN and urged her to use her global position to impact positively on the Nigerian education system.
Highlights of the occasion was the presentation of gift items to students of the schools by the Deputy Secretary General and the rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ song by the students to the delight of the celebrant and guests at the event.
Present at the event were the Acting Secretary, Education Secretariat, Alh. Abdulrazak Leramoh, Acting Chairman UBEB, Mallam Hassan Sule and other senior staff of the FCTA.