The Niger State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, in collaboration with the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project, on Tuesday convened a one-day collaboration meeting with Gender-Based Violence (GBV) service providers in Minna.
The event, which also featured the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), was held at Yayi Hotels.
In her keynote address, the State Project Coordinator of AGILE, Hajiya Maimunat Ibrahim Tahir, said the meeting marked a formal commitment to safeguarding the dreams, dignity, and future of adolescent girls in Nigeria.
“AGILE was founded on a simple but transformative belief that every girl deserves equitable access to education, skills, and opportunities—free from fear, discrimination, and violence,” she stated. “Yet we are aware that, for too many girls, the threat of GBV remains a devastating barrier to learning and empowerment. This reality compels us to act with urgency and unity.”
Tahir said the signing of the MoU symbolised AGILE’s shared resolve to integrate GBV prevention and response services into the education ecosystem, strengthen referral pathways for survivors, amplify advocacy against harmful social norms, and create safer schools and communities where girls can thrive.
“To our GBV service providers: you are the guardians of resilience. Your expertise, courage, and dedication have already rewritten countless stories of pain into stories of power. Today, AGILE stands beside you as an ally, ready to combine our resources, reach, and resolve,” she said.
Describing the MoU as “more than ink on paper,” Hajiya Maimunat added, “It is a promise to girls that their safety matters, a promise to communities that we will work as one, a promise that AGILE will not relent until every girl can walk to school, sit in class, and chase her future without fear.”
“As we sign this agreement, let us recommit to action over words, to collaboration over silos, and to the unwavering belief that together we can build a Nigeria where every adolescent girl is protected, educated, and empowered,” she said.
In goodwill messages, representatives of the Niger State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Mary Isa; the Centre for Communication and Health Services, Dr. Isah Adamu; and UNICEF Focal Person at the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Ambassador Umar Faruk Mashegu, commended the initiative.
They described the meeting as a timely and necessary response to the issue of gender-based violence, which they said extends beyond schools to the broader society.
They emphasised the need for continued awareness creation, calling attention to the plight of victims and the importance of providing support to survivors.
“People need to be aware of home brokers, the silent voices, and the support that survivors of gender-based violence require,” one of the speakers noted.
The participants praised the AGILE Project for taking bold steps to address GBV within the school system.
They said the collaboration would help improve school attendance, build the confidence of girls, and sensitise communities on the importance of protecting children from abuse.
The meeting was attended by 75 service providers and partners drawn from across the 25 local government areas of Niger State.
