The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reaffirmed that every child in Nigeria deserves access to basic education, regardless of their circumstances.
This was stated by the Chief of Field Office, Bauchi Field Office of UNICEF, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, during the 2025/2026 School Enrollment Drive Campaign held on Monday at Amada, headquarters of Gona Emirate in Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State.
Dr. Rafique described education as a fundamental right, stressing that no child should be deprived of learning opportunities. She called on parents, teachers, community leaders, and other stakeholders to support the enrollment campaign, noting that denying a child education is equivalent to denying them a brighter future. She also assured that UNICEF would continue working with the state government to increase school enrollment in line with national education goals.
In her remarks, Gombe State Commissioner for Education, Professor Aishatu Maigari, urged parents and guardians to take full advantage of the government’s investment in education. She warned that refusing to enroll children undermines the huge resources already committed to the sector.
According to her, the government has provided exercise books, school bags, and other learning materials to ensure free and quality education for every child. “We cannot sit back and watch our children roam the streets. Parents must complement the government’s efforts by ensuring their children attend school,” she said.
Professor Maigari explained that the enrollment campaign is not just about filling classrooms but about building the foundation for future leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs. She added that education equips children with knowledge and skills that enable them to be self-reliant.
She further disclosed that the government would carry out house-to-house mobilization to identify out-of-school children, with the enrollment target now raised to 400,000 from UNICEF’s earlier benchmark of 250,000.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Babaji Babadidi, cautioned that parents who deliberately deny their school-age children access to education could face up to two months’ imprisonment, in line with the state’s education policy.
Babadidi assured that adequate arrangements had been made to accommodate the expected rise in enrollment, adding that the initiative is aimed at reducing the high number of out-of-school children in Gombe State.
