Minna — United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNI-CEF), has tasked the 19 northern state governors to urgently give priority attention to girl-child education. It said this will not only effectively bridge the gap between north and south, but as part of strategies to stamp out illiteracy.

Outgoing Country Represen-tative UNICEF, Mrs Mehara Khartun, said this in Minna when she paid a farewell visit to Niger State Governor, Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu, adding that this will go a long way in solving most of the gender related problems. She expressed readiness of the UNICEF to partner with the states in realising objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), to ensure that education is given the proper priority in the scheme of things.

While expressing gratitude to Aliyu for his support to UNICEF through redeeming payment of the states' counterparts funding since his assumption of office, Khartun said through the Fund's programme of action, "Essential Learning Package," the scope and fortunes of the girl-child Education would be broadened to the advantage of the region.

Aliyu, in his response, pledged the commitment of the state to the girl-child education, adding that though the challenges in funding education were enormous, the state was well prepared to reverse the dwindling fortunes of education.

Expressing how serious the issue of girl-child education is and of how much importance it is to the 19 northern states, he said "one of the priority of my administration and that of other northern governments is the girl-child education, because I for one is strongly of the opinion that if you train a boy, you train an individual, but if you train a girl, you train a whole nation." Aliyu, who is also chairman of the northern governors' forum, assured that the state would henceforth promptly pay its counterpart funds to donor agencies and multinational organisations ready to assist the region to move forward.