5.2 Million Nomadic Children Out of School in Nigeria

The National Commission for Nomadic Education reported that approximately 5.2 million children from nomadic communities in Nigeria are currently out of school. Dr. Umar Ardo, the Director of Extension Education and Skills Development at the commission, revealed this during a stakeholders engagement in Kaduna.

The primary reasons for this exclusion include occupational mobility, climate change, and limited access to conventional schools. Recent research identified over 61,000 nomadic out-of-school children in Jigawa, Gombe, Niger, Enugu, Cross River, Oyo, and the Federal Capital Territory.

Dr. Ardo called for urgent measures, particularly alternative learning pathways suited to nomadic lifestyles. He stated that reliable data is essential for effective intervention and urged collaboration among federal, state, and local governments, as well as NGOs, to address the educational needs of nomadic children.

The Federal Government is also working to strengthen education data systems to better track school enrolment and identify out-of-school children nationwide.