Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, on Tuesday expressed the government’s commitment to ensuring the rescue of the abducted Chibok girls, one year after they were taken from their school by Islamist militant group Boko Haram.
Okonjo Iweala made the pledge at a meeting with representatives of the Chibok Community in Abuja on Tuesday, on the Safe School Initiative.
“Today is a day that marks the first anniversary of the abduction of our brave girls in Chibok; they were callously taken away from us and family with the aim of depriving them of having quality education,” Okonjo-Iweala, who was represented by Mrs Anasthesia Nwaobia, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, said.
She noted that the meeting was part of efforts to let the community know that the rescue of the girls, reconstruction of schools and making Chibok safe remained top priority of the government.
“Their absence will create a vacuum in space but they are in our minds,” she added.
She assured that the Safe School initiative and search for the girls would continue notwithstanding the imminent change in government.
“A lot of work has been done in the remodelling of the school to ensure that it is properly reconstructed.
“We have completed the technical aspect of the work and the construction plan is ready, in couple of weeks, we will move to site,” she said.
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