Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima has emphasised the critical importance of prioritising girl child education in Nigeria, calling for a concerted, multisectoral approach to address gender-based barriers to quality education.

According to him, government at all levels, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations (CSOs), and partners in the donor community must come together "with a singular focus: ensuring that every Nigerian child, regardless of gender or geography, receives quality education."

The Vice President, who gave the charge on Thursday when he declared open the International Conference on Girl Child Education in Nigeria, held at the Banquet Hall of Presidential Villa, Abuja, noted that the dignity of the girl child defines every civilization.

Represented at the event by Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, the VP stated: "Whatever reforms we adopt to build a safe space for educating the girl child must be championed from within our communities.

VP Shettima implored government's partners in the donor community, including the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and other multilateral institutions, to make a generational difference.

Outlining statistics on out-of-school children in Nigeria, including the latest Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), the VP warned that "each child abandoned to the streets is a liability that the nation will one day pay for.

Senator Shettima acknowledged, however, that while the issue of girl-child education haunts every nation, her vulnerability in this part of the globe is specifically pronounced.

The Vice President, however, assured that the National Economic Council (NEC), which he chairs, has already set out to guarantee the future of the girl child, adopting education as one of its critical thematic areas of intervention.

VP Shettima regretted that the latest data further accentuates the urgency of addressing the issue, particularly in northern Nigeria, noting that "states in the North West and North East face the highest out-of-school rates.