The Gombe State Government has announced it will prosecute parents and guardians who fail to send their children to school.
Babaji Babadidi, Chairman of the Gombe State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), made the announcement on Monday during the inauguration of the 2025/2026 School Enrollment Campaign in Amada, Akko Local Government Area. He warned that defaulting parents could face up to two months in jail under Section 19(2) of the SUBEB Amendment Law 2021.
“Every parent should ensure that their child or ward attends and completes primary, junior, and senior secondary education,” Babadidi said. “Any parent who contravenes Section 19(2) of the law commits an offence and is liable, upon conviction, to pay a fine or serve a one-month prison sentence. Subsequent convictions attract a substantial fine or imprisonment for up to two months.”
He added that while the state previously encouraged school attendance through free education, failure to meet the target of enrolling 400,000 students in primary schools for this session could lead to strict enforcement of the law.
Commissioner for Education, Prof. Aishatu Maigari, said Gombe has over 700,000 out-of-school children, noting that the Northeast accounts for 15 per cent of Nigeria’s 18.2 million out-of-school children.
“We cannot fold our arms while our children remain out of school. Every child will be enrolled, receive quality education, and learn a trade that can make them self-reliant,” she said, adding that the state has invested heavily in educational resources, including exercise books, school bags, and other materials.
Maigari also praised community leaders for mobilizing parents to enroll their children, while Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, Chief of UNICEF Field Office Bauchi, described the number of out-of-school children in Gombe as “alarming” and emphasized every child’s right to education.
The Emir of Gona, Alhaji Umar Abdulsalam, through his representative Gadi Galadima, pledged the council’s support for the campaign and commended Governor Inuwa Yahaya for improving investment in the education sector.
The event included symbolic enrollment of school-age children into Primary 1 and out-of-school children into post-basic education programs, marking the official launch of the campaign.