The Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) has elected new executives to pilot its affairs for the next two years.
The outgoing National Moderator of CSACEFA, Mallam Kabiru Aliyu, while speaking at the Annual General Forum (AGF) of the organisation in Abuja on Thursday, called for increase in budgetary allocation to education to improve the country’s human capital development.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that forum had, as its theme: “Strengthening Civil Society Engagement and Coalition Building’’.
NAN also reports that seven members emerged as new leaders to steer the ship of the organisation, under the headship of the new national moderator, Mr Babatunde Omole.
They were: Mr Salihu Abba, Mr Duke Ogbureke, Mrs Eunice Egbuna, Mr Abdullahi Sale and Mr Adamu Babale.
While urging the new executives to build on the legacy of the past executives, Aliyu said that they should sustain the objectives and vision of the organisation in ensuring quality education for all.
“ We can beat our chest and say we have done a lot. From what you have seen, it is not business as usual. We have moved from Nigeria to West Africa and to the entire African continent to hold strategic positions.
“We were able to penetrate states to make sure we were part of education stakeholders and our voices were heard; that is an achievement.
“ My advice for new executives is to take it from where we left it and do more than what we have done, and we are ready to support them,’’ he said.
Similarly, Dr Chukwudi Ihenacho, Executive Director, Educational Cooperation Society, called on the new executives to push for education that would enable every Nigerian child get quality and free education.
Ihenacho explained that for education to get its roots, it should be divorced from politics.
“ The new executives must derive their strength from the strength of the coalition. They must pool along the same line, especially in the areas of policy and advocacy. These are the areas that will help education.
“ We have basically achieved some of the goals which had been transferred to MDGs and SDGs to get Nigeria to increase its annual budget to education.
“ We have also pushed for states to re-evaluate their budget performance to make the nation to pay attention to the voiceless children who are not able to get education,’’ he said.
Also, Mr Nathaniel Adamu, acting Policy Advisor of the organisation, urged the executives to focus more on the overall objectives and mission of CSACEFA through quality and compulsory education.
Adamu said that this could only be achieved through collaborations with other stakeholders to strengthen advocacy for transformational development.
NAN reports that CSACEFA, a National Education Coalition (NEC) in Nigeria, was established in 2000 to coordinate the activities of other education stakeholders, with members spread across all the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
The organisation, which started with 40 members in 2000, now has 737 members, with skills in policy issues, project management and community mobilisation. (NAN)
