FG earmarks N1.8bn for Chibok schoolgirls 11 years after abduction

The sum of ₦1,854,277,768 has been allocated to fund the education, rehabilitation, and reintegration of the recued Chibok schoolgirls 11 years after the abduction.

A statement on Thursday by the Federal Ministry of Education’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, said the fund will sustain the Chibok Girls Rehabilitation Programme through 2027.

Indeed, the government’s funding covers tuition, accommodation, vocational training, psychosocial support, and other welfare services for the freed girls, who remain under federal care more than a decade after their ordeal.

The statement, quoting the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said: “Under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Federal Government is ensuring that the rescued 108 girls entrusted to the care of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs continue to receive comprehensive rehabilitation and academic support.”

The ministry said 68 of the girls are currently enrolled at the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, owned by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

It added that payments for tuition and accommodation at the university would continue despite criticisms in some quarters about cost.

The statement said, “The Federal Government has committed the sum of ₦1,854,277,768 to complete the Chibok Girls Intervention Programme, covering tuition, accommodation, vocational training, psychosocial care, and other support up to 2027.”

The ministry stated that the initiative is not merely financial but a moral obligation to safeguard the girls’ future.

“This commitment is not only financial, it is moral. It represents Nigeria’s pledge to turn a dark chapter in our nation’s history into a story of resilience, dignity and hope,” the statement added.

On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram insurgents abducted 276 girls from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

The incident sparked widespread international outrage, galvanised the Bring Back Our Girls movement, and drew intervention from global leaders.

On record, 87 of the abducted girls remain missing, while 108 have been rescued or released in batches over the years.

Many of the freed girls have undergone extensive rehabilitation programmes, including medical care, trauma counselling, and education support.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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