Despite a record 820,000 out-of-school children in the state, Jigawa State government led by Governor Umar Namadi spent N1.5 billion, within three months, on the construction and renovation of mosques and other religious structures.
The strange scenario was disclosed in the state’s budget performance report obtained and highlighed in an editorial matter published by SaharaReporters. The report entitled “Jigawa State Third Quarter (July – September) 2024 Budget Performance” was posted on the state government’s website.
The document showed that the Namadi-led government spent N1,040,000,000.00 on “Construction of Mosques and other religious structures in 2024”. Another N458,470,310.00 was said to have been spent on “Completion of ongoing construction of Mosques and other religious structures”.
Jigawa is ranked fifth state in Nigeria for the high number of out-of-school children. According to a survey by the Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN), there were more than 820,000 out-of-school children between the ages of 3 and 18 in the state.
Speaking at a recent commitment meeting with the Jigawa State House of Assembly in Kaduna, Mohammed Farah, Chief of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Kano Field Office, disclosed that only 16.8% of children in the state were currently enrolled in school.
Farah explained that 44% of primary school-age children and 52% of secondary school-age children in Jigawa were not attending school, creating a significant educational gap and depriving these children of their fundamental right to universal basic education.
He also highlighted the alarmingly low levels of foundational literacy and numeracy in the state.
Farah urged the state legislature to take immediate action, calling for substantial reforms ahead of the next Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), which was scheduled for 2026/2027.
He emphasised the need for a radical shift in the state’s educational landscape to address these pressing issues.
