Iliyasu Abdullahi Bah
In a landmark demonstration of his administration’s dedication to transforming Kebbi State into a hub of academic excellence, Governor Nasir Idris officially launched a comprehensive ₦3.2 billion education intervention program, distributing critical learning materials and inaugurating 21 newly appointed Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) Chairmen at a ceremony held on Thursday in Birnin Kebbi.
The governor emphasized that while Kebbi remains renowned as an agrarian state, his government is equally focused on elevating educational standards, declaring, “Kebbi is not only an agrarian state, it is also an education focused state,” as he outlined sweeping reforms that have already seen the construction and renovation of over 2,000 schools, the recruitment of 2,000 teachers, and the extension of service years for educators a policy later adopted nationally following his advocacy with the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
The governor’s latest intervention includes the distribution of 1,722,372 foundational literacy and numeracy textbooks procured at ₦2.7 billion, 750 digital tablets for head teachers to streamline attendance and record keeping (₦112.5 million), ₦200,000 school improvement grants each for 646 School-Based Management Committees (totaling ₦129.2 million), writing materials worth ₦64.4 million, and monitoring vehicles and motorcycles valued at ₦213.6 million, all aimed at strengthening both the “hardware” and “software” of the education system. Additionally, Governor Idris announced plans to recruit more teachers to bolster the existing workforce, while revealing that 5,000 graduates have already been employed across the health, education, and judiciary sectors.
A pioneering aspect of the initiative is the appointment of university professors as LGEA Chairmen, a first in Nigeria, with the governor pledging to equip them with official vehicles and double their allowances to enhance grassroots education management.
These efforts have yielded measurable success, as Kebbi now ranks among Nigeria’s top-performing states in the National Assessment on Learning Achievement in Basic Education (NALABE), with Primary 3 learners achieving 37.43% proficiency in Mathematics (surpassing the 18.45% national average) and 50.91% in English (exceeding the 33.78% national benchmark).
Speaking on behalf of school administrators across Kebbi State, Mallam Maude, a veteran head teacher, expressed profound optimism about Governor Nasir Idris’ transformative education reforms, declaring “Education remains the master key to individual success and societal development – it is the light that illuminates nations. With these unprecedented investments in our schools, we are confident Kebbi will soon become the gold standard for educational excellence in Northern Nigeria.”
Commissioner for Basic Education Dr. Halima Muhammad Bande, represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, urged stakeholders to maximize the distributed resources, while SUBEB Executive Chairman Professor Sulaiman Khalid lauded the governor’s unprecedented investments, which include four mega schools, 18,582 units of furniture, and specialized teacher training programs benefiting 18,651 educators.
With these strides, Governor Idris has reaffirmed that Kebbi’s future rests not only on agricultural prosperity but on a robust, equitable, and technologically advanced education system poised to nurture the next generation of leaders.