Nigeria and a Japanese firm here on Friday signed a 1.06 billion naira (about 8.2 million U.S. dollars) agreement for the construction of 265 classrooms in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria.

Masatsugu Komiya, who signed on behalf of the Japanese firm, said the agreement was for the third and largest phase of the classrooms to be constructed by Japan in the country.

He said the first phase of the project which involved 70 classrooms was nearing completion in Minna, capital of Nigeria's central state of Niger, while the work on the second stage was ongoing in Plateau State in the north.

According to Gidado Tahiru, executive secretary of Nigeria's Universal Basic Education Program who signed the agreement on behalf of the Nigerian government, the agreement also includes the construction of four offices for headmasters, 170 toilets, and the provision of 6,095 two-seater type desks and 265 blackboards in 32 schools in Kaduna.

He said the sub-components of the project included the training of teachers, pupils as well as members of the communities, on the maintenance of the facilities.

"The Kaduna state government will be in a position to provide the requirements for the take-off of the project," he said.

Source: Xinhua