Kano State Governor, Umar Ganduje, has issued a stern warning to children who have refused to go to school, as well as parents aiding such in the state.
He mentioned that the government would begin to arrest and prosecute any child found on the streets.
During a meeting he held with officials from UNICEF, Ganduje explained that a bill to enforce the punishment for out-of-school children has already been finalized by his cabinet and the Emir of Kano, hence, he would send it to the House of Assembly soon.
Ganduje stated that the government intends to make primary and secondary education free and compulsory for every resident in the state.
He said, “With the bill signed into law, parents who refused to take their children to go to school will be taken to court.
“Children begging on the street instead of going to school will be arrested and their parents arrested and charge to court for prosecution because begging is not our religion. Begging is not Islam. Those children who are begging will be arrested and their parents will be taken to court for allowing their children to be begging instead of attending school.”
Speaking on the availability of teachers in the state, the governor stressed that over 30,000 teachers have been certified during his administration and urged UNICEF to support the government’s efforts towards education.
He said, “We hope you as development partners when we are being accused by mischievous people; we want you to come forward and defend us. Anything we do for the development of education, if we receive undue criticism, I urge you to demonstrate and we will give you protection. That is the only way we can get a change. Otherwise, all that we are doing will remain theoretical.”
“I wish what is happening now happened 20 years ago. It would have been a different story by now. Kano state is the most populous state in the federation. We want our population to be a quality population. There are some countries in the world that don’t have a drop of oil, but yet their economy is strong. The main reason is education, even development, and technology.
“So, we being the most populous state in the world, we want our population to be an asset. As China has conquered the world as a result of the population that is how Kano will conquer Nigeria as a result of population.”
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