Wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, has decried gender discrimination in Nigeria, saying that it poses serious threat to achieving the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Mrs. Saraki spoke when she represented the Wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Buhari, at the just-concluded United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States of America (USA). She lamented the decline in the level of girl-child education across the world.

She insisted that girls’ education should be made the priority of every government, adding that if development is envisaged “development has to be all-encompassing and all-embracing.”

According to Mrs. Saraki, who is also the Founder/President of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), “Girl’s education is a vital tool for both development and empowerment. Breaking down barriers in girl’s education cannot be underestimated.

“Educating our girls could unleash unlimited potential and transform communities - both in my motherland of Nigeria and across the world.

“Yet, across the world, 31 million girls of primary school age and 32 million girls of lower secondary school age are out of school, with sub-Saharan Africa suffering the lowest proportion of countries with gender parity in education.

“Beyond personal fulfillment and growth, education is a source for social development and economic growth. In societies where women and men are more equal, economies grow faster; and general wellbeing is improved,” Mrs. Saraki stated.

•Photo shows Toyin Saraki.