Leaders, policymakers, scholars, and development partners on Tuesday converged in Dutse, Jigawa State, for the 12th Annual Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Lecture on Leadership and Good Governance, where renewed calls were made for urgent action to tackle the deepening education crisis in Northern Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SABMF), former Niger State Governor, Chief Servant Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, described the lecture, tagged “Jigawa 2026,” as a platform for reflection, unity, and recommitment to the ideals of the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto.
Babangida Aliyu expressed profound gratitude to the Jigawa State Government and Governor Umar Namadi for hosting the lecture, praising the state’s hospitality, security consciousness, and developmental strides.
He noted that Jigawa’s humility, simplicity, and focus on progress reflect the enduring legacy of the Sardauna, whose vision of education, unity, and good governance remains a guiding light for Northern Nigeria.
Highlighting the rationale behind rotating the annual lecture across the 19 Northern states, the SABMF Chairman said the initiative strengthens regional ownership, fosters inclusivity, and reinforces the spirit of “One North.”
He stressed that with the emergence of 19 governors in place of the old Northern Region’s single Premier, there is a greater need for a non-partisan institution like the Foundation to support governance, unity, and development across the region.
Babangida Aliyu painted a grim picture of the education situation in the North, revealing that over 80 percent of Nigeria’s out-of-school children are from the region.
He attributed the crisis to insecurity, school closures, poverty, inadequate infrastructure, shortage of teachers, and socio-cultural barriers, particularly against girl-child education.
He warned that denying children access to education perpetuates poverty, inequality, and instability.
He therefore urged state and local governments, especially councils closest to the grassroots, to take full ownership of basic education, reminding them that primary and junior secondary education are legally meant to be free.
He also appealed for national unity, accountability in leadership, and collective commitment to building, rather than dividing, the nation.
Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion and Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF), Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, underscored the urgency of the lecture’s theme, “Equitable Access to Quality Basic Education in Northern Nigeria – A Time for Real Action.”
He recalled the 60th anniversary of the January 15, 1966 coup that claimed the lives of Sir Ahmadu Bello and other national leaders, noting that the best way to honour their memory is through concrete action in education and governance.
Governor Yahaya disclosed that Nigeria has over 18 million out-of-school children, with about 70 percent in the North, while literacy rates in some Northern states remain below 30 percent.
He outlined collective efforts by Northern governors, including partnerships with UBEC and development agencies, the establishment of the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund, and initiatives aimed at improving foundational learning.
In his personal capacity as Governor of Gombe State, Yahaya highlighted major education reforms, including a state of emergency in the sector, massive school rehabilitation projects, expanded tertiary education, and the enrolment of over 450,000 out-of-school children since 2019.
Introducing the theme and Guest Speaker, the Director-General of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Engr. Abubakar Gambo Umar, described the theme as a clarion call for decisive and sustained action to bridge educational gaps in the North.
The Guest Speaker, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai, former Minister of Education, delivered a thought-provoking lecture on the structural barriers to equitable access to basic education and the urgent reforms required to reverse current trends.
Her selection, speakers noted, was particularly fitting given her lifelong advocacy for girl-child education and her role as a trustee of the Foundation.
The event also featured the presentation of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Leadership and Good Governance Awards to eminent Nigerians whose service and integrity reflect the Sardauna’s ideals.
Participants unanimously agreed that addressing Northern Nigeria’s education crisis requires collective action by governments, traditional and religious leaders, communities, the private sector, and civil society, in order to secure lasting peace, prosperity, and unity for the region and Nigeria as a whole.
PR: Khadija Kubau
