The issue of out-of-school children is troubling. As troubling as the reality of Almajiri in northern Nigeria and the culture of touts (Agbero) in southern Nigeria. While this essay is not a rebuke of any part of the country, it is intended to re-focus national attention on the national bogey of out-of-school children, a nationwide-wide malaise but with headquarters in the north.

A couple of years back under the leadership of Abdullahi Ganduje as Kano governor, some Nigerian editors were in Kano for a conference. On one of the days, editors had to take a tour of the state to inspect some projects of the governor. The project-tour took us to far and near places. Hours later, it was time to snack on some munchies to stave off hunger. Snacks and drinks were served inside the various buses that ferried editors around town. And while we made a stop at a project site, a few of the editors in our bus offered to share their snacks with some weather-beaten children who looked malnourished and hungry. Initially they were just a few of them. But suddenly, they became a handful. Three became five and then over a dozen of them besieged our bus, begging for more handouts. These were the almajiris; children deprived of good life, education, healthcare and sundry benefits accorded to humans. For no fault of theirs, these children have been out of school and have no hope for any form of education. They live in the cold, in the streets, at the mercy of the elements. But there was something about them. They have an uncommon sense of kindred spirit. They shared the snacks and drinks, ensuring no one was left out. The rations were small but it did not deter them from sharing. Pure genuine love.

In the north, this is a common sight. The constellation of Almajiris strutting the streets and byways with their begging bowls. They are a huge part of the over 20 million out-of-school children in Nigeria in 2024. Latest statistics breaks down the out-of-school army to 10.2 million children of primary school age and 8.1 million of junior secondary school age. Further analytics says that 74 percent of children aged 7–14 lack basic reading and math skills. This is outside the millions who dropped out at junior secondary and have taking to the streets for their survival. When these numbers are tallied, they surpass the population of some European and African countries and far more than the combined population of over 30 least populous countries in the world.

These are not statistics to be proud of. Some governors in the north have found a perfect alibi in the insecurity that once gained disturbing traction in that part of the country. But this is a lazy excuse. Out-of-school scourge had set in long before insurgency broke out. Insecurity only helped to fuel the fire. International agencies including UNICEF and governments of other nations have shown concern but no matter their efforts, the bogey will not go away. It will take the conscious resolve of governors of the afflicted states to get the children back to school.

One of such states is Borno. The governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, a leader of proven pragmatism, has set the pace. Recently he told visiting World Bank officials that his government has reduced the number of out-of-school children in the state from 2.2 million to 700,000 in the last five years.

This represents about 70 per cent decrease in the out-of-school children rates in the state, by every standard an impressive scorecard. And how did he achieve this? Deliberate investment in education and vocational training. Investment in education translates to better classrooms and learning ergonomics. It means a motivated workforce, in this case, teachers. Investment in education means well thought out strategies to secure schools and protect both the pupils, students and their teachers.

He breaks the investment to include the construction of 104 new schools, rehabilitation of 2,931 classrooms, and distribution of millions of instructional materials to basic and post basic schools.

Under his watch, the state has distributed 20 million exercise books, two million textbooks, 15 million sets of school uniforms, 700,000 school bags, and millions of other learning tools. That’s not all. About 50,000 pupils have benefited from the school feeding programme annually, while 10,000 bicycles had been distributed to indigent students, to enhance access to education in rural areas.

The government deliberately focused on Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET), to address challenges of out-of-school youths who fall above the conventional schooling age. By this concept, Zulum ensures that even if they are out of school, they should not be out of skill. Any person who grows up without formal education or without skill, any skill set, is a disaster waiting to happen.

Within a space of five years, his government established five Vocational Enterprise Institutes, two Second-Chance Women and Girls Skills Entrepreneurship Schools, and reactivated nine Vocational Training Centres training 5,000 artisans annually. This is the model that has pulled about 1.5 million once-upon-a -time out -of-school children into the knowledge and skills club. And this in a state most affected by insurgency, indeed the epicentre of the war against terror and allied crimes. It takes both will and commitment to achieve this. Zulum showed the will and courage to get his people out of poverty; to empower them and make them less susceptible to crime and less willing to be recruited by the terror merchants.

If Zulum could achieve this in the vortex of insurgency, no northern governor has any excuse. Neither should the matter of out-of-school children be mentioned in the south. Governors should roll up their sleeves and fund education and healthcare in their states. Using insecurity as alibi is no longer tenable. Any governor who lacks ideas on this matter should run to Zulum. He is a teacher. He will willingly share his note with such governor. Guaranteed!