Education: Beta Nigeria Engages Media, CSOs, Others In Campaign For Improved Investment

..Says Education Best Thing That Can Happen to Nigeria

…First published in March 26

By Frederick Peters, KADUNA.

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA: The Beta Nigeria campaign, has engaged the media, Civil Society organizations, private sector and several stakeholders on a roundtable to advance the course of improved investment in the education sector in Nigeria.

The group believes that the best thing that can happen to Nigeria, especially at this challenging time in the country’s history is the conscious and strategic increased investment in education.

Speaking to Journalists shortly after the roundtable in Kaduna, the Federal Lead, Abdulsalam Badamasi, said the Beta Nigeria campaign involves citizens, like the CSOs. Media organizations, private Sector and other varied stakeholders coming together to campaign for improved investment in education.

” when we say improved investment, we are looking or seeing education as an investment in Nigeria’s future, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be money, but can also be time and intellectual commitment and so on; so that’s what Beta Nigeria is looking at and that’s why we convened a roundtable meeting

 ” so this roundtable meeting is meant to bring stakeholders like you, the media, civil society, the Private sector to come and speak about what Beta Nigeria is all about and to also enjoin them to be part of Beta Nigeria campaign” he stressed.

He however said, the campaign, is in its ‘exploratory stage’, of engaging the potential stakeholders, and see the passion and commitment to continue the project, before coming back for the formal launch of the campaign.

He said though the campaign has a national outlook  ” for now, we are looking at Kaduna, Kano, jigawa and Abuja FCT, but it’s a national campaign” he added.

Describing the outcome of the visit, ” I think am impressed with the turn-out in Kaduna , it was high beyond what our expectation is, you know Kaduna is regarded as the centre of learning, you have a lot of illustrious institutions here both in the academic and vocational sector, even the military sector where you have the NDA, so I was not surprise to see the number of participants and  the quality of people that participated in these conversations” he added

On the challenges of out of school children and insecurity, he noted that efforts would be geared to see that  the security agencies, service providers, government at all levels, work tirelessly to address insecurity to ensure that the investment in education is secured for Nigeria’s future.

” So our message is that education is the best thing that can happen to Nigeria and education will secure the future of Nigeria, because we face some crises and education is the best solution to these crises” he asserts.

Earlier, one of the participants at the roundtable, the Executive Director of AID Foundation, Emmanuel Bonnet, lauded the timely  intervention of the Beta Nigeria Campaign. “The Beta Nigeria Campaign couldn’t have come at a better time to provide a platform for stakeholders to prioritize their efforts in campaigning for a single issue around the education sector in Kaduna State”

Similarly, Dr. Micah Shabi, Executive Director of Improvement in Respect of Social Status of the Disabled in Kaduna, commended the timeliness of Beta Nigeria’s arrival in the country, saying “Beta Nigeria arrives in Nigeria at the opportune moment, perfectly reflecting its name. It’s the right time for inclusive education for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), as their challenges in education encompass various aspects—social, political, and beyond.

” As we recognize, education stands as the ultimate solution for PWDs. We are delighted to join forces with Beta Niigeria.” he reiterated