Malala Yousafzai, Amina Mohammed Advocate for girl-Child Education in Nigeria.

With one in five out-of-school children in the world living in Nigeria, the Pakistani Nobel Laureate and renowned female education activist, Malala Yousafzai, and the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, visited the country in June to advocate for girl-child education.

The timing of the visit was significant as it coincided with Malala's 26th birthday and marked the 10th anniversary of her groundbreaking education speech at the United Nations.

The urgency of child education in Nigeria is evident from staggering statistics: approximately 10.5 million children between ages 5 and 14 are currently out of school, and only 61 per cent of 6-11 year-olds attend school regularly, according to UNICEF.

The situation is even more concerning in the northeast and northwest regions of the country where the female primary attendance rate is about 47 per cent, meaning that more than half of the girls in those regions are not in school.

Malala emphasized the crucial role of girls' education in shaping the nation's future. She called on all state and federal governments to commit to providing complete education, including senior secondary education, to every child in Nigeria.

Ms. Mohammed highlighted the significance of Malala's visit, stating: "We have many out-of-school children. We know that the quality of education is not what every child should have in this country, and an advocacy mission to an administration that believes in education is important timing.

'So, her voice, her inspiration, not just to government, but to society and governors that we met, is extremely important as this administration begins its journey of the next four years."

Why I am here

In a meeting with Nigeria's Vice President Kashim Shettima, Malala further expressed her concern: 'I am here because girls' education is important. It will determine the future of Nigeria. So, I am here because I want to bring attention to those issues."

I am here because girls' education is important. It will determine the future of Nigeria. So, I am here because I want to bring attention to those issues

She urged the Nigerian government to make a commitment to ensure that every child in the country has access to free and quality education, including senior secondary education.

She stressed the importance of making a full financial commitment to ensure that no child is left behind, recalling her own struggle for education rights after being shot by the Taliban in Pakistan at the...