Pulse.ng : AGILE sensitises 50 kaduna imams on addressing the project misconceptions

By Sani Idris

The Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project, has sensitised 50 religious leaders (Imams) on addressing some religious misconception attached to the project.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that dring a short commentary after delivering a Friday sermon, at Maiduguri in 2023, a cleric claimed that the AGILE project targeted Northern Nigeria and Islam to erode religious beliefs and instill moral decadence.

The AGILE project Coordinator in Kaduna, Hajiya Maryam Dangaji, said the projects was aimed at deepening and expanding access to education particularly to the girl child at secondary school level.

She added that statistics has shown that girls are the most vulnerable in the society where they don't attend school or have access to education.

She equally said a number of girls in kaduna and other states terminates their studies at the level of primary school.

She explained that the sensitisation was part of Kaduna AGILE’s unwavering dedication to fostering collaboration and engagement within communities to address the misconception attached to the project.

Dangaji also said the sensitisation was aimed at enhancing the project awareness and fostering greater understanding of the project among religious leaders in the state.

"We also seek to increase opportunities and impact in education to the youths,"she said.

Earlier, the Commissioner of Education in Kaduna, Prof. Muhammad Bello, said Kaduna State had 16 per cent of the total amount provided by world bank in collaboration with the federal government to support the AGILE project.

He added that the 16 per cent of the funds for Kaduna state government was used to build schools, renovation of existing ones and providing soft skills and awareness amongst the population.

Speaking on out-of-school children, Bello spoke about an upcoming project supported by Islamic Development Bank and the Kuwait Funds, among others development partners which was aimed at supporting the children.

Disclosing the number of out-of-school-children in kaduna, he said they were about 700,000 who have either not started school or started and left, which the upcoming project seeks to support.

The Commissioner described the number as alarming, while restating the state government's committment in addressing issues that has to do with education in the state.

One of the participant, Muhammad-Bello Auwal, the Chief Imam of Barnawa Central Mosque, said he was satisfied about the information he got about AGILE in the sensitisation.

"We are satisfied with the content, procedure and all the activities of AGILE. We thank the Kaduna state government and the AGILE project for coming to our aid in trying to make education accessible especially to out young girls,"he said.

Also, Abubakar Muhammad, an Imam from Rigasa, Igabi LGA of the state, said initially, there was a different perception of the AGILE project.

He however, said with the explanation and deep thoughts during the sensitisation, they were able to understand that the AGILE project was aimed at the proper upbringing of girls especially through education.(NAN)