Dankwambo, Northern Nigeria and education, by LEWIS CHUKWUMA

According to Malala Yousafzai, children’s education activist and the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, “One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world. Education is the only solution; education first. Malala, the young Pakistani girl who miraculously survived a devastating gun attack by the Talibans further proclaimed – “Let us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism and let us pick up our books and pens.
They are our most powerful weapons.” Strangely, this young Muslim girl who was addressing the world could easily have been specifically speaking to Northern Nigeria. After almost 58 years of independence from Great Britain, Northern Nigeria remains the sick baby of the federation, despite the fact that her sons have largely called the shots as regards governance and political direction of the country. As it is, this zone of infinite promise remains curiously prostrate, measured by all human development indices.
Many are unlikely to concede that an atrophy of leadership vision exists. It is against the background of this puzzling developmental stagnation that some young Turks are challenging the status quo and moving to change this Hobbesian narrative. A key personality who has thrust himself, by the sheer audacity and vision of his governance philosophy, into the educational transformation of his region, is Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State. Simply put, this youthful visioner has lighted a candle in the overwhelming educational darkness of Northern Nigeria. As is said, a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first. He started with Gombe State and this has challenged a few like-minded fellows in the region.
He has broadened the concept of education to accommodate both children’s education and youth education as a critical tool in the progressive redirection of society, especially in the North-Eastern geo-political zone that has borne the brunt of terrorism-related depredations. For long, this zone has suffered multi-faceted challenges, especially in the education arena. Shocking figures from out-of-school children and the challenges of the girl-child education translate inescapably to poverty, child abuse and fertile recruiting ground for terrorists.
In a compelling departure from the norm, Governor Dankwambo has made education his first, second and third priority to specifically address the high need of quality education in Gombe State. His administration has invested billions of naira in the crucial sector. The spill-over effect of this focused intervention is also impacting the North-East zone. This is clearly a welcome development. More specifi cally, within the seven years of his dual tenures, Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo constructed new Central model Schools in Gombe, Dukku, Funakaye, Akko, Billiri, Kaltungo and Deba Local Government Areas and renovated over 502 classrooms in both primary and Secondary Schools across the State.
He built up to 51 laboratories to improve the standard of Science and technology education in the State and Constructed new secondary and Primary Schools at Gabukka, Herwagana, Abubakar Umar Memorial and Kurjale. Others are Auwaru, Futuk in Akko LGA, Lalaipido in Shongom LGA and Awak in Kaltungo LGA. Moving to provide a more conducive learning environment for pupils in Schools, Governor Dankwambo decongested the classes of 100 or more to 40 students per class in all schools across the state and constructed and renovated the hostels, toilet facilities and supplied beds and mattresses in boarding schools across the state.
The administration under review also manifested its commitment to ensuring high teaching standards in the state by recruiting over 2,000 university graduates and over 1,000 NCE graduates, to make up for the shortage of teachers in both primary and secondary schools across the state, with additional recruitment of another 762 graduates recently.
The Dankwambo administration also purchased of over 4,000 (threein-one) desks for Secondary schools, reading and writing materials to Primary, junior and senior secondary schools across the state.
It also purchased of over 2,570 double decker beds and over 636 tables and chairs for students in boarding schools and principals and teachers respectively. It also fabricated and supplied 13,183 sets of pupils furniture and 1, 200 sets of teachers furniture for the schools, purchased and supplied instructional materials and lecture’s aids in primary schools, Constructed staff quarters and 68 VIP toilets in Schools across the state. To also ensure more quality teaching and learning in schools, the Dankwambo administration has also created a quality Assurance Department, trained about 5, 000 teachers as part of professional development and 3,918 teachers consisting of 888 junior secondary and 3,030 primary teachers. In his effort to control the number of Amajiris on the streets of Gombe State, Governor Dankwambo has constructed Tsangaya Primary Schools in Nafada, Kwami and Wuro Ladde with facilities.
So far, 2,000 students have been enrolled for remedial programme with the University of Maiduguri in which 55% have gained admission in to the University and Purchased and distributed JAMB/ UTME forms to them and send 20 Students for overseas maritime degree programme.
To also make the payment of Students scholarship easy, he introduced the E-Payment of Scholarship allowances and computerization of the Scholarship Board. His clear, sincere commitment to give the best in higher education within the seven years of his two tenures has become imperative as he constructed and established five Tertiary institutions, which include the School of Basic and Remedial Studies in Kumo and DabanFulani, Conventional College of Education Billiri, College of Nursing and Midwifery Dukku (under construction), State Polytechnic Bajoga, School of Legal and Islamic Studies Nafada, the Gombe State University College of Medical Sciences (under construction), as well as the procurement and installation of laboratory equipment for the College And Faculty Of Pharmaceutical Science, Gombe State University. Governor Dankwmbo recently received a committee report on the establishment of five additional tertiary institutions, which are the State University of Science and Technology, College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, College of Accountancy, Institute of Journalism, and the Institute of Sports. Tracking back, it bears repeating Malala Yousafzai’s transformative position on education again: “One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world. Education is the only solution.” Clearly, Governor Dankwambo has keyed deeply into this narrativechanging philosophy and altered for good the destiny of Gombe State and much of the North-East region for good.
He could do the same for Nigeria. Chukwuma, a policy and public issues analyst, writes from Abuja