A conversation with Nabila Aguele, Malala Fund’s Chief Executive for Nigeria, and girls’ education advocate, Funom Yakubu, on financing, school re-entry and listening to girls.
Across Nigeria, adolescent girls are navigating a difficult reality shaped by insecurity, rising living costs and deep-rooted gender inequality. In rural communities, many girls walk long distances to overcrowded schools without toilets. In cities, some leave school early to help at home or earn money. And too often, pregnancy or marriage cuts their education short — with few opportunities to return.
These challenges aren’t new, but they remain urgent. In response, Malala Fund is deepening its investment in Nigeria, focusing on the areas where girls are most at risk of being left behind and where advocates are working to change that.
In a recent conversation, Malala Fund Nigeria’s Chief Executive, Nabila Aguele, sat down with Funom Yakubu, a girls’ education advocate and a speaker at Malala Fund’s Girls’ Vision report launch, to reflect on what girls across Nigeria are saying — and how leaders should respond.
“When I talk to girls, I hear about how poverty, menstruation, and child marriage are forcing them out of school,” said Funom. “But what stands out to me is how determined they are to keep learning — if only they’re given a chance.”
Her words echo the resilience of many girls in Nigeria, who are determined to stay in school, even when circumstances push them toward early marriage and pregnancy, or when economic hardship makes school seem less attainable.
“I remember being in a room with about 40 girls, and maybe 10 of them said they were in school,” said Funom. “It wasn’t because they didn’t want to be — it was because their parents couldn’t afford it, they were expected to take care of younger siblings, or they had to work to support the household.”
In many communities, girls who are forced to leave school early due to pregnancy or marriage face stigma or policies that prevent them from returning to the classroom.
Both Nabila and Funom also reflected on the importance of rethinking how systems respond to girls who are pushed out of school. In many places, marriage or pregnancy is treated as a disqualifier instead of a reason to extend more support to girls who want to continue learning.
“They’re not just saying they want to be in school,” said Funom. “They’re saying: we want to be safe. We want to be listened to. We want to learn and lead and live full lives.”
These are the realities that drive the work of Malala Fund in Nigeria, which advocates for gender-responsive education financing and policies that address these very issues. Even when funds are allocated for education, girls who need them most are often the last to benefit.
This approach to education — supporting girls to return to school after child marriage or pregnancy — is central to Malala Fund’s advocacy efforts and is a key priority in our new five-year strategy. The organisation is committed to ensuring that girls in Nigeria, and around the world, have the resources and opportunities to access and complete secondary education.
The solutions are clear: increase education financing, create gender-responsive policies and provide the support girls need to stay in school, no matter their circumstances.
