By Abubakar Dan Ali
Education in Sokoto State, like in many parts of the North, faces systemic challenges rooted in socio-cultural and historical realities. But the sector is witnessing a transformation under the present administration. Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto deserves huge credit for his fantastic leadership that has brought about this development.
Since taking office in 2023, Governor Aliyu, in line with his 9-Point Smart Agenda, has made education a clear and unshakable priority. This is not political lip service like that of former Governor Aminu Tambuwal’s administration, which declared a state of emergency but changed absolutely nothing about infrastructural decay, lack of teachers, and instructional materials.
Since its inception, Dr Aliyu’s administration has demonstrated a strong commitment to education, as seen in the hefty allocation of 25 per cent of the expenditure budget to education. In the 2025 budget, education received a full 25% of total state expenditure, which exceeds the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recommended benchmark. It is one of the boldest financial commitments to education from any subnational government in Nigeria.
And the impact is beginning to show.
It is important to note that the commitment of Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s administration goes beyond funding public education. It is a total package. But there is no doubt that the strong financial provisions have helped drive the design and deployment of wide-ranging intervention strategies to address the most pressing issues in the education sector, brightening the future of Sokoto State. By improving infrastructure, promoting access, and strengthening regulatory oversight, the government is assiduously building a solid foundation for inclusive and quality education for all.
Across the state, hundreds of school buildings are either springing up or undergoing total renovation. According to data from the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), over 170 new blocks of classrooms and toilets have been built, and 79 previously dilapidated structures have been refurbished and fenced. A safe, decent, and well-equipped learning environment is key for the government—and this is now the norm.
Through SUBEB, over 170 blocks of classrooms and toilet facilities have been constructed across various basic schools. Notable examples include Karfen Chana Primary School and Kiri Sallamawa Primary School in Gada Local Government Area; Junior Secondary School, Margai, in Kebbe Local Government Area; IDP Camp Primary School in Goronyo; Gyal-Gyal Junior Secondary School in Wurno Local Government Area; and Bada-Bada Primary School in Kware LGA, among many others.
In addition, 79 dilapidated school structures were renovated and fenced across the state. These include Inname Primary School in Benji Council Area; Asara Primary School in Gwadabawa; Junior Secondary School, Labani, located in Silame LGA; Maitandu Primary School in Isa Local Government Area; and many others. Anyone in doubt of the dedicated and strategic effort of Governor Aliyu and his team to improve educational facilities in the state is free to undertake a project verification tour of the cited schools.
Other intervention projects under SUBEB include the construction of 63 blocks of three classrooms each, with office, store, and verandah; construction of 37 blocks of two classrooms with office, children’s restroom, and verandah; renovation of 97 blocks of two-, three-, and four-classroom buildings; drilling and reticulation of 16 productive boreholes with 2,000-liter PVC tanks; construction of 101 four-compartment toilet blocks; and the procurement and distribution of 21,922 double-seater iron/wooden desks.
Also, as part of the education infrastructure facelift initiatives of Governor Aliyu’s administration, is the renovation and rehabilitation of 11 major secondary schools, among them the Sultan Muhammadu Maccido Institute, the Sultan Abubakar College, Sokoto Teachers College, and the Government Girls Unity Secondary School, Bodinga.
What is particularly commendable is that the investment in the sector goes beyond beautiful structures. Over 21,000 double-seater desks have been distributed, and for the first time, instructional materials are getting to rural schools. Basic water and sanitation facilities—including boreholes and toilets—are being installed.
The result? Improved enrollment in public schools since 2023, including a significant uptick in girls’ enrollment. This is no small victory in a region where girl-child education has long faced cultural and economic resistance. Even at the level of school management, reforms are in motion. For the first time in the history of the state, all secondary school principals have been receiving a monthly imprest of ₦200,000 since January to ensure operational efficiency. The government’s generous financial commitment is clearly helping to maintain existing facilities and provide instructional materials before the ministry steps in.
Regular inspections, especially by the Commissioner of Basic and Secondary Education, are now routine, ensuring the conduct of morning assemblies. Stakeholder meetings under a school board management system are mandatory. The empty declaration of “emergency in education” has been replaced with hands-on leadership. Of course, the picture is not perfect. Sokoto still grapples with a significant number of out-of-school children. The government is addressing the Almajiri system, which is deeply embedded in the religious and social fabric of the society, before the arrival of Western education.
But progress is not the absence of challenges; it is the presence of direction, strategy, and the will to overcome. Governor Ahmed Aliyu, in under two years, is not expected to solve all of Sokoto’s educational problems. But he has done what great leaders do: he has made education a central pillar of his governance. He has backed words with action. He has given the sector resources, attention, and measurable targets. If sustained, these efforts could reposition Sokoto as a model for educational reform in the North. And for once, that is a story worth telling.
In the words of the State Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Isa Sadiq, Turakin Achida, “the Sokoto State Government has made remarkable strides in the education sector through transformative investments and policy reforms,” in line with the progressive vision of Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto.
It is equally true that Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto is tackling the problems of education head-on, as he does in all other sectors listed in his famous 9-Point Smart Agenda for impactful governance. The journey may still be long toward removing Sokoto State from the list of educationally disadvantaged states, but the present government is certainly moving in the right direction—one that, if sustained, will eventually lead to the desired destination where every Sokoto child gets the chance to obtain a modern education.
Governor Aliyu’s administration deserves commendation for its efforts to improve educational infrastructure, enhance quality, and expand access to ensure that every child in the state receives the necessary education to help them face the challenges of life in a world increasingly driven by knowledge.
