As the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) pledged continued support and partnership in actualising some programmes of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Vice President Kashim Shettima has described the move as a step in the right direction, noting that the President has redefined the concept of modern leadership in Nigeria.
Commenting on the administration’s vigour in pursuing legacy projects in health, nutrition, human capital development and related fields, VP Shettima said the government was committed to working with UNICEF and other development partners to advance some of the “laudable initiatives” of the Federal Government such as Nutrition 774 Initiative, Economic and Financial Inclusion, and the Nutrition Intervention Fund, among others.
The Vice President, who stated this on Wednesday when he received a delegation from UNICEF Nigeria led by the country representative, Ms Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef, on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the country was blessed with a dedicated and committed leader in President Tinubu.
In a statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, the vice president noted that the President was determined to invest in the youth and in the overall transformation of the education sector, noting that in UNICEF, Nigeria has a worthy partner in progress to actualise its goals.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a man of courage and conviction and he is doing everything possible to redefine the concept of modern leadership in Nigeria.
“We are on the cusp of regenerating our economy and rebuilding this nation. The gains of our reforms are manifesting by the day, the inflationary trend is on the decline and by the end of the year, the economy will further stabilize for all to see,” the VP said.
While acknowledging the relationship between Nigeria and UNICEF over the years, the Vice President said: “we have worked with your colleagues on different programmes across the country in the past and I believe that your coming will bring on board new experience, exposure and the capacity for value addition to what we are doing.”
Earlier, the UNICEF Country Representative, Ms Abdelatef, acknowledged VP Shettima’s dedicated leadership, strong voice and disposition in supporting humanitarian causes in Nigeria and beyond, describing him as a global citizen.”
She assured the Vice President of UNICEF’s unrelenting commitment and alignment to the priorities of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly its programmes on nutrition, human capital development, and education of the girl child, among others.
The UNICEF Country representative commended some of the administration’s interventions such as the Nutrition 774 Initiative, the Nutrition Intervention Fund, and the Nutrition Bill, noting that the government’s vision is clear and the mission is realisable.
