The Federal Government has unveiled intervention plans to enroll 500,000 learners and educate and empowering one million underserved girls across the country.
Acting Executive Secretary, at the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Formal Education, Dr. John Onimisi, who stated this in Abuja, said the move is aimed at reducing Nigeria’s disturbing number of out-of-school children and improving the quality of lives of girls.
He said the commission had commenced training for enumerators on automated data tools to capture youths who dropped out of school or never had the opportunity to continue their education.
Onimisi explained that the programme, which will run in phases across the 774 local government areas, is designed to return over 500,000 learners in the first phase and provide them with both literacy and vocational training.
“Our target is to ensure that these learners are enrolled into non-formal learning centres and are able to complete the programme successfully. Some may also transit to vocational programmes after completion,” he said.
He revealed that the programme will be monitored in real time through a dashboard linked to the National Identity Management System.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Dr. Aisha Garba has announced the formal migration of the LUMINAH 2030 Initiative from the Federal Ministry of Education to UBEC to ensure sustainability and institutional backing.
Garba, represented by UBEC’s Deputy Executive Secretary, Technical, Razaq Akinyemi, said the initiative, launched in 2025 with World Bank support, seeks to educate and economically empower one million underserved Nigerian girls by 2030.
“Lumina illuminates the path to education and empowerment. It integrates schooling, skills training, caregiver support, and community engagement to address the root causes that have kept our girls out of school,” she said.
According to her, the programme aligns with UBEC’s 10-year roadmap and will provide vocational skills, financial support for caregivers, and safe learning centres for girls in 12 states, including Yobe, Taraba, Kano, Jigawa, Ebonyi, Anambra, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom.
Officials stressed that both interventions mark a renewed federal commitment to bridging Nigeria’s literacy gap.