The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has commended Kebbi State for its outstanding achievements in girls’ education under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE).

NANS National Sports Director, Comrade Haruna Tijjani, in a statement on Sunday, said that more than 20,000 schoolgirls in Kebbi have received financial support to remain in school, contributing to a 20 per cent decline in girls dropping out.

Supported by the World Bank, AGILE is a Federal Government project under the National Project Coordinating Unit (NPCU) of the Federal Ministry of Education (FME).

The initiative offers a comprehensive approach to enhancing equitable access to quality education for adolescent girls by improving school infrastructure, providing conditional cash transfers to low-income households, addressing social norms that hinder girls’ attendance at school, and equipping girls with life, digital, and economic skills.

The project is currently implemented across a total of 18 states: seven parent states (Borno, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Plateau) and eleven additional states (Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kogi, Jigawa, Kwara, Yobe, Niger, Nasarawa, Zamfara, and Sokoto) under new financing.

Tijjani commended the State Project Coordinator, Alhaji Aliyu Haido, describing AGILE as one of northern Nigeria’s most inspiring education success stories.

He said: “In Kebbi State, the project is already changing lives. So far, 303 schools have been upgraded, and 1,387 classrooms have been delivered — 1,339 renovated and 48 newly built. Over 7,000 additional projects such as perimeter fencing, hostels, staff quarters, multipurpose halls, and skills acquisition centres have also been completed across the 21 LGAs.

“To improve the learning environment, more than 40,000 classroom furniture sets have been provided, while 1,336 WASH facilities — including toilets and boreholes — have been installed. Work is ongoing for 30 new junior secondary schools and 18 senior secondary schools.

“In addition, 75 primary schools have now been upgraded to junior secondary, and 45 junior schools have transitioned to senior secondary level.

“Through AGILE’s conditional cash transfer scheme, over 20,000 schoolgirls have received financial support to stay in school. More than 2,000 teachers have been trained on gender-sensitive teaching methods, while traditional rulers, religious leaders, and community influencers have been actively engaged in promoting girls’ education.”

According to him, as a result, girls’ enrolment has increased by 40 per cent, learning outcomes in Mathematics and English have improved by 30 per cent, and dropout rates have fallen by 20 per cent.

Tijjani attributed the programme’s success to Haido’s strong leadership and engagement with traditional rulers, religious leaders, and community influencers.

He urged other states to replicate Kebbi’s model, highlighting its long-term social and economic benefits.