Buhari finally returns to Nigeria from UK trip
President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived back in Abuja from his UK trip, where he joined world leaders in making firm commitment to increase funding for education sector at the recent Global Education Summit.
He also used the opportunity of the trip to also spend a few days for his medical check-up.
The Global Education Summit, co-hosted by British Prime Minister, Mr Boris Johnson, and President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, successfully generated about four billion dollars out of the targeted five billion dollars for the transformation of the education sector in low income countries, including Nigeria.
NAN reports that Buhari, who actively participated in the activities of the summit, appeared on a panel of discussants with a live audience alongside his counterparts from other African countries, including President Kenyatta, President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, President Faure Eyadema of Togo and President Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi.
The summit focused on topical issues including Education’s Reset – Learning from COVID; Transforming the Child’s Learning Journey; Gender Equality in and Through Education; Ripple Effect – Education’s Impact on Sustainability, and Financing for Impact – Volume, Equity, Efficiency.
At the summit, Buhari pledged to increase the budget for the education sector in Nigeria by as much as 50 per cent over the next two years.
The Nigerian leader stated: “We commit to progressively increase our annual domestic education expenditure by 50 per cent over the next two years and up to 100 per cent by 2025 beyond the 20 per cent global benchmark.”
NAN reports that the president also held bilateral meetings with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Patricia Scotland, at the sidelines of the Global Education Summit.
Buhari and Boris Johnson, during the bilateral talks appraised the war against different forms of terrorism in Nigeria, and agreed that the judicial process be allowed to run its course.
Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement, quoted the two leaders saying it was important that ”the judicial process runs without interference, no matter who was involved”.
