In Gudu Local Government Area of Sokoto State, a fully completed school worth approximately N1 billion sits locked and empty, nine years after it was built. The Model Boarding Secondary School, Balle, has never admitted a single student since its completion in 2017, and the community that was supposed to benefit from it is growing increasingly frustrated.
The school was constructed under the administration of former Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as a direct response to the severe lack of secondary education access in Gudu LGA, which was widely regarded as one of the most educationally disadvantaged local governments in Sokoto State. For years, families in Balle and surrounding communities had to either send their children to distant towns for schooling or watch them drop out entirely.
The facility was built with classrooms, hostels, a clinic, a mosque, access roads, and other infrastructure. It was also designed to serve students from neighbouring communities across the border in the Niger Republic, with English and French planned as languages of instruction. During the 2016 Democracy Day celebration, Tambuwal had said of the project, “The fact is that despite concerted efforts by successive governments, the level of educational development in Gudu has consistently remained the lowest in the state.”
But academic activities never began. Today, security personnel occupy the facility due to the insecurity challenges that have plagued the area.
Residents who spoke on the matter were clear that while they support the presence of security forces, the school belongs to their children. A resident, Mallam Umar Balle, put it plainly.
“We are not against the soldiers because security is important to us. But this school was built for our children, and we still need it. Government should provide another suitable place for the security personnel and allow the school to begin operations,” he said.
He also suggested that if the government could not reopen it as a secondary school, it could be converted into a faculty of the Federal College of Education, Gidan Madi, or another higher institution, so the facility does not continue to go to waste.
The President of the Gudu Students Association (GULSA), Ahmad Usman Jimajimi, painted a picture of what the absence of this school has cost the community over the years. Many students from Gudu had to travel to places like Gidan Madi, Nagarta College, and FGC Sokoto just to access secondary education.
“Some parents simply could not afford to send their children outside the area, and many students abandoned education completely,” he said.
He also made a pointed observation about the connection between education and security.
“No matter how the government wants to solve insecurity, education must be part of the solution,” he said.
The Chairman of the School-Based Management Committee in Gudu LGA, Attahiru Balle, appealed to the government to act before the structures begin to deteriorate. “This school was built to change the story of education in this area. We are appealing to the government to open it for the benefit of our children,” he said.
The community’s traditional head, Aminu Aliyu (Sarkin Yamman Balle), echoed the same sentiment, noting that the building remains in good condition and is ready to be put to use.
When contacted, the Sokoto State Commissioner for Information, Bello Sambo Danchadi, said the government remained committed to acting in the people’s interest. “The state government is for the people, and it will do whatever is in the interest of the people. As soon as the security situation improves, the school will continue to function as scheduled,” he said.
For the residents of Gudu, that assurance has been a long time coming. Nine years on, they are still waiting.
Digital Operations Manager at The Students Forum Nigeria.
