Sokoto’s abandoned N1bn school must serve its purpose

The story of the abandoned Model Boarding Secondary School in Balle, Gudu Local Government Area of Sokoto State, recently reported by this newspaper, is a painful reminder of how public investments in education are too often sacrificed to poor planning, weak political will and the country’s worsening insecurity. Nearly nine years after the school was […]

The story of the abandoned Model Boarding Secondary School in Balle, Gudu Local Government Area of Sokoto State, recently reported by this newspaper, is a painful reminder of how public investments in education are too often sacrificed to poor planning, weak political will and the country’s worsening insecurity.

Nearly nine years after the school was completed at a reported cost of about N1 billion, not a single student has passed through its gates.

Built in 2017 by the administration of former governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the institution was meant to address the severe shortage of secondary schools in Gudu, one of the most educationally disadvantaged local government areas in the state. Before the project, many families in Balle and surrounding communities had little or no access to functional secondary education. Students were forced to travel long distances to continue their education, while many others simply dropped out.

At the time the foundation was laid, the project generated widespread excitement among residents. It was seen as a turning point for a border community long neglected in educational development. The school was not designed as an ordinary rural secondary school. It came with classrooms, laboratories, hostels, a clinic, mosque, staff quarters, access roads and sporting facilities. English and French were planned as languages of instruction to enable it serve communities in both Nigeria and the neighbouring Niger Republic.

Sadly, the lofty vision behind the project has remained unrealised. Today, the facility is occupied by security personnel because of the insecurity affecting parts of the area. While residents acknowledge the importance of security operations, they insist that the school should not permanently lose its original purpose.

One resident, Mallam Umar Balle, captured the frustration of many community members when he said the people were not against the soldiers, but wanted government to provide another suitable location for the security personnel so the school could finally commence operations. Others have suggested that if reopening it as a secondary school is no longer possible, the facility should at least be converted into an extension campus of a higher institution rather than allowed to waste away.

The anger and disappointment of the people are understandable. In a state where over 66 per cent of school-age children are reportedly out of school, leaving such a massive educational investment idle for nearly a decade is difficult to justify. The challenge becomes even more alarming when viewed alongside the poor educational indices in the state and across much of northern Nigeria.

The closure of schools because of insecurity is itself becoming a dangerous national trend. Reports indicate that more than 180 schools across parts of northern Nigeria have either been shut down or severely disrupted by banditry and violent attacks. In some communities, displaced persons now sleep in school buildings at night while pupils attempt to use the same facilities during the day.

The consequences are already visible. Rising illiteracy, increasing poverty, youth unemployment and growing insecurity are all connected to the failure of the education system. Thousands of children across rural communities are growing up without access to formal learning. Some are pushed into street begging and child labour, while others become easy targets for recruitment by criminal gangs, bandits and extremist groups.

Education experts have repeatedly warned that insecurity and educational neglect reinforce one another. Where schools disappear, hopelessness grows. And where hopelessness thrives, insecurity finds fertile ground. The President of the Gudu Students Association was therefore right when he said education must be part of any long-term solution to insecurity.

At Daily Trust, we believe that the continued abandonment of the Balle school represents a serious failure of governance. Governments cannot continue to announce ambitious projects, spend huge public funds and then leave such projects unused while communities remain trapped in poverty and illiteracy. Public infrastructure must not become monuments to waste and broken promises.

The Sokoto State government must therefore act urgently. If insecurity remains the major obstacle, authorities should explore practical alternatives, including relocating security personnel to another site while phased academic activities begin. Community leaders, traditional institutions and security agencies should also collaborate to ensure adequate protection for the school and surrounding communities.

Allowing a billion-naira educational facility to decay in a state struggling with one of the country’s worst out-of-school crises is unacceptable. Reviving the school would not only restore public confidence but also offer hope to thousands of young people whose futures continue to hang in the balance.

No nation develops by abandoning its classrooms. The future of Nigeria depends largely on what happens in its schools Today. That is why governments at all levels must treat education not as a ceremonial campaign promise, but as an urgent national responsibility.