By Okey Muogbo
In a significant move to address the education gap in Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Councils, the National President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Hon Aminu Mu’azu Maifata, led a delegation to the Federal Minister of Education in Abuja for a courtesy call.
The meeting, held on Thursday focused on how the Local Governments financial Autonomy could mutually benefit the core mandate of the Ministry which is Primary Education with a call for strong partnership for effective education at the grassroots.
The ALGON National President expressed gratitude to the Ministry for granting the meeting and emphasized the need for capacity building, innovative education approaches, and best practices in primary education. He noted that fears allayed across some divide on meeting the financial obligations of the Primary School Teachers amongst which are welfare, pension, training, and enabling environment will be prioritized.
In his response, the Minister of State for Education, Hon Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, welcomed the delegation and acknowledged the Supreme Court judgment granting autonomy to Local Governments. He highlighted the Ministry’s priorities, including quality assurance, basic education, and policy development, and emphasized the importance of ALGON’s partnership in achieving these goals.
The meeting extensively discussed critical issues bothering on Teacher training and retraining, material needs assessment, and infrastructure development. The Minister called for ALGON’s introspection to identify gaps and prioritize human capital development, while also emphasizing the need to de-escalate party politics in service delivery.
