Namadi with Governor Yahaya and Muazu
By Mohammed Abubakar Dutse
Determined to close the educational imbalance between the north and other parts of the country, stakeholders from the region gathered in Dutse Jigawa state with a view to proffering solutions.
The occasion was the 12th edition of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial lecture put together by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SABF) in memory of the first Premier of the Northern Region, who, along side other prominent Nigerians, was assassinated during the first military coup on January 15, 1966.
Coming exactly five days after the 60th anniversary of the unfortunate development, this year’s event dwelt on the declining standards of the education in the region which has resulted in its stunted growth.
This, the galaxy of who is who, who met at the Banquet Hall, Jigawa State Government House, were united that the time to close the gap in the education was now, considering the harm that has been done to the region.
Setting the tone for the discussion was a former Minister of Education, Professor Ruqqaya Rufa’i , who lamented the depth of the problem confronting the sector in the region which she said needed urgent redress.
Presenting the lead paper titled “Delivering Equitable Access to Quality Basic Education in Northern Nigeria: A Time for Real Action,” the former minister who recently retired from the academics, attributed the slow pace of educational development in Northern Nigeria to weak community participation, poor funding, shortage of qualified teachers and low school enrolment across the region.
The former minister cited reports, from reputable international organizations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund ( UNiCEF) to the effect that Nigeria housed the highest number of out-of-school children in the world with over 18 million, out of which Northern Nigeria accounting for more than 70 per cent of the figure.
She identified that limited access to quality education exposes many children to radicalisation, social exclusion, economic unproductivity, high maternal mortality, hunger and involvement in criminal activities.
In addition, she fingered poor funding, unfriendly school environments, shortage of qualified teachers, limited community participation and lack of cultural alignment in school curricula as major factors undermining educational growth in the region.
She stressed that under such conditions, achieving meaningful development would remain difficult, calling for practical and purposeful reforms anchored on adequate funding, provision of qualified teachers, safe learning environments and stronger community engagement.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, ( BoT ) of the foundation and former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Muazu Aliyu, who shared the same sentiment disclosed that the region was at a cross road and expressed concern over the region’s failure to sustain the legacy of Sir Ahmadu Bello, which he said was built on equitable access to quality education, unity and social cohesion.
Muazu, Dr. Aliyu who was a one time Chairman of the Northern State Governors’ Forum (NSGF) admitted that the current governors of the 19 northern states were doing their best to address the imbalance, but appealed to stakeholders to learn from history and contribute collectively towards addressing the region’s social, economic and security challenges.
The current Chairman of the NSGF who is also the Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, commended the Sir Ahmadu Bello Sardauna Foundation for bringing to the front burner issues that have been hindering the development of the Northern Region
Yahaya, who chaired occasion however disclosed that the governors from the region were taking collective decision towards finding a lasting solution to the educational problem in the region.
He admitted that in the past, states were taking individual decisions, but they’ve realized that, that approach does not work for the region, “So, we’ve pledged that the Northern Governors’ Forum would champion the implementation of a unified educational reform framework, rather than a fragmented approach, to reposition the region and preserve the ideals of Sir Ahmadu Bello.
The host Governor Umar Namadi reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to collaborating with relevant stakeholders to advance educational reforms and strengthen good governance across Northern Nigeria.
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