The United Kingdom (UK) has pledged $16 million dollars to support the education of 100,000 children affected by the Boko Haram crisis in Northeast Nigeria.
The UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Jonathan Allen, made the disclosure in his remarks to journalists at the UN headquarters in New York.
According to Allen, the fund was part of the package from the visit of Prime Minister Theresa May, who was on bilateral visit to Nigeria on Wednesday.
He spoke about the security in Africa, noting that it was a good moment to remind that May had been visiting South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya over the last few days.
[penci_blockquote style=”style-2″ align=”none” author=””]“This includes the offer of joint training with Nigeria for four army units going to the northeast; of education support for children in areas where schools have to close because of the conflict, to the tune of $16 million for affecting 100,000 children; and in countering Boko Haram propaganda.[/penci_blockquote]
The UK envoy added that the security agreement signed by the prime minister included the offer of joint training with Nigeria for four army units going to the northeast.
“Perhaps of most relevance in the Security Council is the agreements she came to in Nigeria on security and defence partnership, which will see greater equipment and training for the Nigerian military.
“This includes the offer of joint training with Nigeria for four army units going to the northeast; of education support for children in areas where schools have to close because of the conflict, to the tune of $16 million for affecting 100,000 children; and in countering Boko Haram propaganda.
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“She also announced the opening of new embassies in Chad and Niger, which will strengthen the case, response and ability to work in partnership with countries in the Sahel, particularly if that gets to the Lake Chad Basin, which is an issue of great concern for this Council”.
During May’s visit to Nigeria, UK signed a security pact with Nigeria aimed at helping the country combat the militant group Boko Haram through better military training and anti-terrorist propaganda techniques developed in the UK.