Northern governors meet in Kaduna, vow to address out-of-school children crisis

The Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) has resolved to improve investment in education to address the out-of-school children crisis in the region.

The governors of 19 northern states made the resolution on Tuesday at a meeting held at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna.

In a communique issued at the end of the meeting and signed by Inuwa Yayaha, governor of Gombe and chairman of the forum, the governors noted that human capital development is critical to the progress and prosperity of the region.

The forum lamented that the north is the region “with the highest number of out-of-school children in the world”.

The governors added that it is crucial to invest in skill development to address the economic and security challenges in the north.

“The forum noted that climate change, unsustainable agricultural practices, and population growth posed significant challenges to the region,” the communique reads.

“The forum resolved to adopt a holistic approach that promotes environmental conservation, sustainable agriculture and responsible resource management to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of the people and preserve the national heritage of generations yet unborn.”

During the meeting, the governors received reports from various technical committees on the New Nigeria Development Company (NNDC), Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) and the World Bank team.

Other committees include the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Coalition of Northern Group (CNG).

The governors expressed concern over the security challenges currently affecting the people of Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Plateau and Zamfara states.