President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday assured the young Pakistani girls’ education advocate, Malala Yousafzai, that he is ready to meet the parents of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Borno State, on April 14.
Malala, who was shot by the Taliban three years ago for campaigning for girls’ education, disclosed this at a press conference after meeting behind closed door with President Jonathan.
She said President Jonathan also assured her that efforts are ongoing to ensure safe release of the girls from terrorists’ den.
Malala said she believed President Jonathan was serious with the two promises, adding that she looks forward to the girls’ release.
She insisted that Nigeria’s annual budgetary allocation for education is too meager.
The Director of Communications, Malala Foundation, Eason Jordan, said at the briefing that President Jonathan also promised to ensure scholarship for the abducted girls.
Jordan stated that Malala pledged to support the scholarship with $200,000
Malala said: “I am here in Nigeria on my 17th birthday for a price which is to see that every child goes to school. This year, my objective is to speak up for my Nigerian sisters about 200 of them who are under the abduction of Boko haram and I met President, Goodluck Jonathan for this purpose.
“I convey the voice of my sisters who are out of school or who are still under the abduction of Boko Haram. And for those girls who escaped from the terrorists’ den but still do not have education. And in the meeting, I highlighted the same issues which the girls and their parents told me in the past two days.
“The parents said they really want to meet with the President to share their stories with him. And I asked the President that if he wants to meet with the parents of the girls, he assured me that he would meet with them.”
She went on: “I spoke to the President about the girls who complained that they cannot go to school despite the fact that they want to become doctors, engineers and teachers. But the government is not providing them any facility. They also need health facility, security, and the government is not doing anything.
“These are the issues I presented to the President today. He promised that something would be done for these girls.”