‘Urbanisation worsening out-of-school crisis among pastoralists’
The National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) said rapid urbanisation is deepening Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis among pastoralists, as displacement, loss of cattle and closure of specialised schools push many of them further away from education. The Executive Secretary of NCNE, Prof Bashir Usman, stated this at the weekend during a high-level dialogue in Abuja […]
The National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) said rapid urbanisation is deepening Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis among pastoralists, as displacement, loss of cattle and closure of specialised schools push many of them further away from education.
The Executive Secretary of NCNE, Prof Bashir Usman, stated this at the weekend during a high-level dialogue in Abuja between the Presidency and the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) on the menace of cows roaming Abuja city centre.
The meeting was convened by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha.
Prof Usman said urbanisation was forcing nomadic families into city outskirts without access to tailored schooling.
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“Urbanisation has moved them into a tight corner. Many of their cattle are gone, and with it, their way of life. For the children, most of the nomadic schools have been converted into conventional schools, despite their unique curriculum needs. A large number of our children are out of school, roaming around in town,” he said.
Prof Usman warned that the displacement has left many adolescents, aged between 15 and 25, idle and vulnerable, with parents often unwilling to send younger children to distant conventional schools.
“It is disheartening to see many of them hanging around, making all sorts of hairstyles and carrying all sorts of things,” he said.
To address the crisis, he disclosed that NCNE has begun a nationwide census of nomadic children, with six states already covered, to reintegrate them into school and provide vocational skills for older youths.
The commission, he added, has also secured the Minister of Education’s approval for a flexible staffing model that allows trained locals to serve as community facilitators, ensuring learning continuity as families migrate.
Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Livestock Development, Idris Abiola-Ajimobi, said President Bola Tinubu’s administration was working to revive grazing reserves, develop ranches, and establish Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones where pastoralist families would have access to education, healthcare, and other basic amenities.
MACBAN President, Alhaji Baba Othman-Ngelzarma, admitted that pastoralist children account for an overwhelming majority of Nigeria’s estimated 20 million out-of-school children, pledging his association’s readiness to partner with the government to reverse the trend.
He noted that Abuja would be used as a pilot model for sustainable grazing and inclusive education.