Education remains panacea for poverty eradication – VP Shettima

The President of the Global Growth and Opportunity Division at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Rodger Voorhies, met with Vice President Kashim Shettima on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa. They discussed how to tackle poverty and hunger in Nigeria through education and skill development.

Vice President Shettima highlighted the challenges of climate change on farming and the need to adopt farming methods that are friendly to the environment and can ensure food security for Nigeria’s rising population.

He called on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to join forces with the Nigerian government to boost agricultural output, improve nutrition, and strengthen the education sector.

He also asked the Foundation to back President Bola Tinubu’s initiatives to empower women, especially the girl child, as they are vital to Nigeria’s efforts to reduce poverty.

Vice President Shettima thanked the foundation for its remarkable contributions to Nigeria, especially in the areas of wiping out polio and providing primary healthcare services.

Stressing the need for the foundation’s sustained support in the Nigerian agricultural sector, the VP said, “We are putting a lot of resources into agricultural innovation and best farming practices to increase productivity. However, we need the skills and resources of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to speed up our progress.”

Sen. Shettima, in a statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, emphasised the role of education and skill development in tackling poverty and hunger.

He urged the foundation to work with the Nigerian government to improve access to quality education and create more opportunities for skill development, especially in the farming sector.