NORTH MUST UNITE TO TACKLE 18 MILLION OUT-OF-SCHOOL CHILDREN – YAHAYA

The Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has called on governors across Northern Nigeria to put aside political differences and adopt a common development strategy to address the country’s estimated 18 million out-of-school children.

Yahaya warned that the growing number of children excluded from formal education poses a serious threat to the region’s future, security and economic development.

He made the call on Saturday at the 2026 Biennial Dialogue, Lecture, Dinner, Awards and Recognition Ceremony organised by the Barewa Old Boys’ Association in Gombe State.

According to the governor, poverty, insecurity, inadequate school infrastructure and social inequalities are among the major factors keeping millions of Nigerian children away from classrooms, with the North accounting for a disproportionate share of the crisis.

He described the situation as a development emergency, insisting that security operations alone would not deliver lasting peace without deliberate investment in education, employment opportunities and human capital development.

Yahaya urged Northern governors to move beyond individual state policies and establish a regional framework that would prioritise basic education, improve school facilities, recruit qualified teachers and expand vocational and technical training.

He also proposed that every Northern state should consider establishing educational institutions modelled after the historic Barewa College to widen access to quality education and promote unity among young people.

The Gombe governor disclosed that his administration had constructed about 400 primary schools and was working to strengthen teacher training and recruitment.

He stressed that the goal should not stop at returning children to school but must include ensuring they remain in education, complete their studies and acquire skills that can improve their future prospects.

The National President of the Barewa Old Boys’ Association, General Alwali Jauji Kazir (retd.), also called for urgent action, recommending better data, safer schools, scholarships, mentorship and stronger collaboration among governments, communities and development partners.

Yahaya pledged to present recommendations from the dialogue to the Northern States Governors’ Forum, urging political leaders to put collective progress ahead of partisan interests.