•Bank commits $1.8 billion to Nigeria’s development
EMIR of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, has appealed to Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) to fund the education of out-of-school children, particularly the girl child.
The emir said he was worried by rising out-of-school children in the country and North.
He spoke when he received President of the bank, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman Al-Jasir, in his palace.
Calling on IsDB to create a special funding to enable the children go back to school, the monarch decried the socio-economic danger posed by the menace of out-of-school children.
“According to statistics from UNICEF, Kano accounts for about 1.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria,” he lamented, and urged the bank to assist.
He commended the role of IsDB in infrastructural and agricultural development in Kano and other member countries.
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IsDB President, Dr Mohammad Al-Jasir, said the bank would improve the standard of living and livelihood of the people, and promised that the bank would take the emir’s demand serious.
He said IsDB has concluded plans to support Nigeriwith $1.8 billion.
Al-Jasir was in Kano to monitor projects of Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP), being funded by the IsDB.
He inaugurated an animal laboratory financed by the bank at Gwale veterinary and visited the IsDB-funded multi-million irrigation project at Wateri village in Bagwai local government.
The IsDB president also inspected the rehabilitated 964-hectare dam under the state Agro-pastoral project.
He said he was satisfied with the achievements recorded, and urged KSADP officials overseeing the project to continue with the good work.
The bank chief said the project funded by the bank and the Lives and Livelihood Funds (LLF), had contributed to poverty reduction and strengthened food and nutrition security.
According to him, the bank had been monitoring Kano’s performance and was impressed Kano was working hard to meet the bank’s expectations.
“The $1.8 billion facility is made up of $971 million for project financing by the bank and about $288 million provided by the Islamic Corporation for Development (ICD)-IsDB’s private sector affiliate.