>
Oyo State Government has said plans are in place for the implementation of a girl child programme, targeted at girls between ages 16 and 24 years.
The initiative, according to a statement by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Professor Musbau Babatunde, is designed to comprehensively address the education concerns of girls across the country.
According to him, the Oyo State Government will implement this in collaboration with TYDO-Leadership Academy, the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) and Oyo State Operation Coordinating Unit (OYOSOCU).
He said the process of implementing the girl child programme is only for residents of the state.
“The main objective of the programme is to select nothing less than 150 female beneficiaries across the country who are between ages 16 and 24 years and have advanced in Senior Secondary School,” he said.
He added that the programme, targeted at girls who have completed Senior Secondary education with good grades in Mathematics and English Language, would be mined from the National Social Register of the Poor and Vulnerable across the 36 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory.
“The State Operations Coordinating Unit under the supervision of the Oyo State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, will supervise the project.
“The unit will supervise the deployment of 150,000 sms, while responses would be received in Abuja,” the commissioner stated.
He appealed to residents with active phone numbers to attend to the sms when they receive it.
“The intervention will use the call centre through 969 to address complaints from potential beneficiaries,” he added.
The commissioner enjoined those concerned to seize the opportunity given to Oyo State, to benefit from the programme maximally.
