There Will Be No Male Child In JSS2 By 2027 – Niger Governor, Bago Raises Alarm

The governor of Niger State, Umar Bago, has stated that male children are abandoning junior secondary schools in the state for artisanal mining.

The governor lamented that the children now consider mining more lucrative than education

Naija News reports that the governor stated this during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.

The governor’s remark follows the death of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

The victims were among scores of suspects arrested during operations conducted on September 15 and 16 around Lt Gen Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna, the Niger State capital.

Speaking during the interview, Bago said a report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Shiroro and other LGAs in the state projected that there could be no male children in JSS2 by 2027 because of artisanal mining.

“We know that gold mining in Niger State has become habitual.

“The UNICEF report on Shiroro and other LGAs says by 2027, there will not be a single male child in Grade 8, that is JSS2, Grade 7, because all of them are into artisanal mining. They have left classrooms and are not in schools. This is a problem for us,” he said.

Asked whether his administration would take stronger action against parents who allow their children to stay out of school and engage in mining, Bago said the government would consider the matter.

“We are going to look at that because it’s a very tall order,” he said.

The governor said the scale of illegal economic activities in Niger made the problem hard to address, noting that the state occupies about 10 per cent of Nigeria’s landmass and has extensive mineral resources.

“Mining, poaching and logging are serious businesses.

“Niger state has the largest concentration of forests and trees in West Africa, and people are there doing logging.

“It’s not just about digging the ground. Even cutting trees, making charcoal, killing animals and selling their hides and woods, all these things are happening,” he said.