Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has sought the support of UNICEF and other United Nations agencies in addressing the issue of out-of-school children in his state and Northern Nigeria.
The Governor highlighted that several factors, including poverty, insecurity, and cultural beliefs, have contributed to the high number of out-of-school children in Gombe and other states of the federation.
He emphasised that accelerating investment in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal Four (SDG4), which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, would also aid and contribute to the fight against poverty.
Governor Inuwa Yahaya, who is part of the Nigerian delegation at the ongoing 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, made the call while speaking with journalists after the SDGs’ summit.
He spoke about efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children in Gombe State, acknowledging the challenges posed by the surge in the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from neighbouring states.
“By 2019, according to UNICEF’s data, there were 550,000 out-of-school children in Gombe alone. As of today, the numbers have likely increased due to the settlement or rehabilitation of some people from displaced states,” he noted.
“Given our proximity to the remaining five states of the Northeast, most of them have relocated to Gombe for security and safety, exacerbating our own challenges.
There ought to be around 600,000 by now, in my estimation. However, in the past three or four years, we have been able to reach and educate 350,000 children.
Our goal is to ensure that each child in Gombe receives free quality education, at least up to basic education, following the principles of universal free education as guided by the Sustainable Development Goals.”
While the Governor outlined some strategies employed by his administration to tackle the issue of out-of-school children, he added that he had already engaged with some UN agencies, including UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund, seeking support to address this growing concern.
Governor Inuwa explained that his administration implemented measures such as establishing community-based schools, constructing, renovating, and equipping schools, distributing learning materials to children, and conducting sensitization campaigns to educate parents on the importance of sending their children to school.
While these strategies have shown positive results, Governor Inuwa acknowledged that more needs to be done. Hence, he has sought the support of UNICEF and other international partners. He expressed confidence in the ability of UN agencies to provide technical support, expertise, and resources to help address this critical issue.
“I have met with UNICEF, UNFPA, and other United Nations agencies to ensure that we receive the necessary support to uplift the lives and livelihoods of our people, especially in the Northern region where there are significant challenges related to insecurity and poverty.
We are strengthening collaboration to address challenges in our state, region, and country,” the Governor stated.
Inuwa, who is also the Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, further explained that he was part of President Buhari’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly to support the efforts of the Federal Government in addressing critical issues in the country.
He said, “As a subnational entity, whatever affects the nation affects us all. It is the combination of the states that form the federation.
So, we will be meeting and engaging with other world leaders to support President Muhammadu Buhari in delivering on the needs of the Nigerian people, particularly in Gombe State.”
This information is contained in a statement by Ismaila Uba Misilli, Director-General (Press Affairs), Government House, Gombe.
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