Out-of-school children threaten North’s future, Gombe gov warns

Gombe State Governor and Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Muhammadu Yahaya, has called on Northern governors to adopt a coordinated regional strategy to tackle the growing number of out-of-school children, warning that poverty, insecurity and educational exclusion are threatening the region’s future.

Yahaya said Northern states could no longer afford to operate without a common development agenda, insisting that collective action, rather than political differences, was necessary to reverse the region’s educational decline.

The governor spoke on Saturday at the 2026 Biennial Dialogue, Lecture, Dinner, Awards and Recognition Ceremony organised by the Barewa Old Boys’ Association, Gombe State Chapter.

The event focused on the theme, “The Scourge of Out-of-School Children in Nigeria and the Implications for National Security and National Development.”

Yahaya said Nigeria had an estimated 18 million children outside the formal education system, with Northern Nigeria accounting for a disproportionate share.

“Behind these statistics are real human stories: children whose dreams are cut short by poverty, girls denied education by circumstances beyond their control, and young boys growing up on the streets without the knowledge and skills needed to build their future,” he said.

He described the situation as more than an educational challenge, warning that it had serious implications for economic development, social stability and national security.

“We must therefore recognise that the out-of-school children crisis is not merely an educational problem. It is a development emergency and a national security concern,” the governor said.

Yahaya said security operations alone could not guarantee lasting peace without deliberate investments in education, employment opportunities and human capital development.

He argued that Northern governors must look beyond individual state policies and develop a regional framework capable of addressing the challenges confronting the region.

“Nothing stops us. We must expand because what brought this issue that we are discussing today is because we have not been able to provide the best that is needed in order to ensure that provision was made for the upcoming population,” he said.

The governor advocated what he described as backward integration, urging leaders to examine the region’s past educational achievements, assess its present challenges and plan for future population growth.

Reflecting on the establishment of Barewa College and other historical educational institutions, Yahaya said Northern Nigeria needed to recreate the kind of educational vision that produced generations of leaders.

He suggested that every Northern state should consider establishing institutions modelled after Barewa College to expand access to quality education and promote unity among young people from different states.

He recalled that Northern Nigeria had a much smaller population when some of its major educational institutions were established, arguing that the region’s population growth made expanded educational investment more urgent.

Yahaya also called for greater attention to basic education, saying governments must not concentrate disproportionately on tertiary institutions while millions of children lacked access to primary and secondary education.

He disclosed that his administration had constructed about 400 primary schools in Gombe State, while also working to improve teacher training and recruit qualified teachers.

The governor said the challenge was not simply getting children off the streets and enrolling them in schools but ensuring that they remained in the system, acquired relevant skills and completed their education.

“It is not just in getting them off the streets and returning them to school. It is to ensure that they qualify and get the skills and other education that they desire,” he said.

He further advocated the integration of vocational and technical education into the regional strategy, arguing that children who could not pursue conventional academic pathways should have access to practical skills that would make them economically productive.

Yahaya also disclosed that Gombe State was investing in tertiary institutions, including the employment of qualified teachers and expansion of academic programmes, but insisted that basic education deserved greater attention.

He said state and local governments should judiciously allocate resources to foundational education instead of placing excessive emphasis on establishing more universities.

The governor warned that poverty, insecurity and educational exclusion reinforced one another in a vicious cycle, stressing that addressing one without tackling the others would produce limited results.

He also urged traditional rulers and religious institutions to become active partners in ensuring that children attended school, recalling earlier approaches in which parents faced sanctions for failing to enrol their children.

“How can we do it? We must,” he said, calling for renewed community engagement and practical measures to enforce parental responsibility.

Yahaya, however, cautioned that the dialogue must not end with speeches and recommendations, urging the Barewa Old Boys’ Association to deploy its extensive network towards scholarships, mentorship, advocacy and partnerships.

“Actions that follow discussions in forums like this are what matter. So, there is a need for us to provide this strategy,” he said.

Speaking as Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, he pledged to present recommendations from the dialogue for consideration as part of the collective efforts to address the crisis.

He urged political leaders in the North to put aside partisan differences and align behind a common development agenda.

“Whatever it takes, we must align. The politics of government will not take us anywhere. We will continue to suffer,” he warned.

The governor added that the North needed focused leadership and a clear development pathway to compete with other parts of the country.

Earlier, the National President of the Barewa Old Boys’ Association, General Alwali Jauji Kazir (retd.), said the out-of-school children crisis was a developmental, social, economic and national security concern that required collective intervention.

He cautioned against portraying out-of-school children themselves as security threats, describing them instead as vulnerable children whose circumstances demanded urgent attention.

Kazir called for reliable data to identify children excluded from education, improved access to basic education, safer schools and interventions that reflected the realities of different communities.

He also advocated collaboration among governments, traditional rulers, religious leaders, parents, civil society organisations and development partners.

The BOBA president said the association would contribute through mentorship, scholarships, advocacy and partnerships aimed at expanding educational opportunities for disadvantaged children.

He urged members to translate their concern into practical action, stressing that Nigeria could not achieve lasting peace, sustainable development and national security while millions of children remained outside the classroom.