‘Flood displaced over two million pupils in Nigeria last year’

AbdulRazaq orders probe of Shonga flooding

The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that flooding in 2024 displaced approximately 2.2 million pupils across Nigeria, significantly disrupting academic activities nationwide.
  
UNICEF’s Chief of the Kano Field Office, Mr. Rahama Farah, disclosed this during a press briefing to mark the 2025 International Day of Education (IDE). According to a report released by UNICEF, a total of 2,200,200 learners were directly affected by the devastating floods, leading to prolonged school closures and interrupting the education of millions of children.
  
“In Jigawa State alone, last year’s floods destroyed 115 school buildings, leaving them unsafe for use and severely disrupting education,” Farah stated. He highlighted that over 92,518 school children, comprising 43,813 females and 48,705 males, were affected across all 27 local councils of Jigawa. The damaged infrastructure and extended closures have deprived students of essential learning opportunities.

To address the impact of climate change on education, UNICEF, in collaboration with the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), the United Kingdom (UK) has been supporting Kano and Jigawa state governments to create climate-resilient learning environments.

MEANWHILE, Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has ordered a probe of the flooding in several rice farmlands in Shonga, Edu Local Council of the state. 
  
The committee, led by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Bukola Babalola, will be assisted by the commissioners for Agriculture, Water Resources and Environment, and the Special Adviser on Special Duties and the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Security to the Governor, Muhyideen Aliu.
  
 A statement issued yesterday also stated that a director in the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, and the State Social Investment Programme made the list.