With over half of its children out of school, Sokoto neglects flood-destroyed primary schools

By solacebase.com On Sep 29, 2025

With over half of its children out of school, Sokoto neglects flood-destroyed primary schools

By Aminu Abubakar

A SolaceBase review of the Sokoto State budget performance document for the first half of 2025 has revealed a disturbing lack of commitment to the rehabilitation of primary schools that were destroyed by flooding and erosion.

This development raises concerns about the priorities of the state government at a time when access to education remains one of the most pressing challenges in the region.

The budget review indicates that only N205 million was allocated for the rehabilitation of schools destroyed by flooding and erosion. Of this sum, just N100.4 million was actually spent between January and June 2025.

The figure is strikingly low when compared with the enormity of the problem, especially as reports suggest that 52% of children in Sokoto State are currently out of school, according to the National Bureau of Statistics— the highest proportion in Nigeria. Education experts say the inability to provide safe, functional schools worsens the already dire out-of-school crisis and deepens poverty in affected communities.

In stark contrast, far larger amounts were channelled into non-essential projects. While the rehabilitation of schools destroyed by flooding took only N205 million, the purchase of thirty vehicles for Honourable members of the House of Assembly and management staff was budgeted at a massive N1.8 billion. Between January and June alone, N1 billion of this allocation had already been spent. Similarly, another N460 million was earmarked for motor vehicles for the speaker and deputy speaker of the state House of Assembly.

The trend of prioritizing political officeholders over public needs continued with an additional N3 billion budgeted for the state executive council, of which N2.7 billion was spent in just the first six months of 2025. Analysts argue that such expenditure patterns highlight misplaced priorities, especially at a time when communities are reeling from multiple flooding disasters.

The urgency of rehabilitating schools cannot be overstated. In July 2025, after hours of heavy rainfall, severe flooding displaced residents and caused extensive damage to farmlands, homes, and local businesses in Tureta Local Government Area of Sokoto State. Schools in several affected communities were also destroyed or rendered unusable. The floods left families homeless, markets submerged, and farmlands devastated, creating an atmosphere of despair.

Barely a month later, in August, more disasters struck. Two local government areas — Bodinga and Shagari — were ravaged by floodwaters. Entire communities lost homes, farmlands, and a major local market. Tragically, a boat carrying traders and residents capsized at Kojiyo village in Goronyo Local Government Area, leaving no fewer than 25 people rescued and another 25 declared missing. The August 14 flood left hundreds of households shattered, with villages such as Badau in Darhela Ward and Butuku in Toma Ward of Bodinga, as well as Dandin-Mahe in Shagari, suffering massive destruction.

The scale of destruction was so widespread that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had to conduct an assessment mission across the affected communities in Shagari, Tureta, Dange-Shuni, and Kebbe Local Government Areas. NEMA reported that heavy rainstorms between September 1 and 18, 2025, caused widespread damage. Houses built with mud or clay collapsed, rooftops were blown away, farmlands were submerged, and staple crops such as maize, millet, guinea corn, rice, groundnut, and onions were destroyed. The agency warned that agricultural livelihoods had been severely affected, raising fears of imminent food shortages in farming communities.

The Federal Government had earlier issued warnings of heavy rainfall and possible flooding in 15 states and 69 communities between September 24 and 28, 2025, and Sokoto State was specifically listed among the high-risk states. Despite these repeated alerts, Sokoto’s spending on erosion and flood control remained grossly inadequate. For the year 2025, the state government budgeted N650 million for erosion and flood control but had spent only N134 million in the first half of the year.

Observers note that this neglect places public infrastructure, including schools, at even greater risk of destruction. The meagre investment in rehabilitation of schools and flood control, compared with the huge sums diverted to vehicles and government offices, paints a picture of governance that prioritizes political comfort over public welfare.

For many parents and children in Sokoto State, the implications are dire. With schools damaged and insufficiently repaired, thousands of children risk losing access to education altogether. In rural communities where floods have displaced families, children often spend months out of school. Civil society groups have repeatedly warned that the long-term effects of such neglect include higher illiteracy rates, rising insecurity, and worsening poverty.

As Sokoto State continues to battle recurrent flooding, experts argue that a deliberate shift in government priorities is urgently needed. Education and flood control, they insist, must be placed at the centre of spending to protect vulnerable communities and secure the future of the state.