In Yobe State, primary and secondary school students sits on the bare floor to learn.
This is more apparent in the state’s capital, Damaturu, where several public schools lacks basic infrastructures like seating and other learning materials.
This is also six years after the declaration of a state of emergency in the education sector and the mobilization of over N1.6 billion through various intervention programs in the state.
Governor Mai Mala Buni made the declaration immediately after assuming office in 2019, promising to overhaul the system by addressing dilapidated infrastructure, inadequate teaching personnel, and chronic shortages of learning materials.
Similarly, the state launched the Yobe Education Appeal Fund on February 11, 2022, with the ambitious goal of raising N25 billion to drive comprehensive transformation.
However, according to Sule Dauda, a member of the Yobe Education Trust Fund (YETFUND) Committee, in 2023, only N1.6 billion was successfully raised during the campaign.
Additional reports indicate that a separate accumulation of funds including profits has now pushed the total amount held in a dedicated Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account to approximately N1.6 billion, including a profit of N140 million generated over 18 months period.
This reporter visited Bukar Ali Ibn El-Kanemi Primary and Secondary School in December this year to assess the situation; and apart from lack of chairs, other structures and facilities are in dire situation.
These facilities include dilapidated classrooms windows, ceilings, fans, floor and other things.
Laboratory, library and hall are equally absent in the school.
According to an official who speaks on anonymity, this lack of basic facilities is affecting students and learning activities.
He explained that the students are subjected to harsh weather conditions during studies, especially during raining and cold seasons.
The situation at Bukar Ali mirrors conditions in several other public schools in Damaturu.
While the state government maintains that the funds are intact and earmarked for strategic projects, the continued hardship faced by learners raises growing calls for swift, transparent, and accountable deployment of the resources to ensure the dignity and future of Yobe children are not compromised.
“I don’t know how the current principal managed to furnish his office, but there was a massive improvement compared to what we see today, and I can tell you clearly, it was not from the government,” Umar Abdulhamid, a resident of Damaturu said on Ali Marami school.
However, a senior official familiar with the situation, who requested anonymity, said the authorities were aware of the conditions at Bukar Ali Ibn El-Kanemi School.
“I swear they knows about it,” the source said, adding that “maybe it’s not a priority because their children are not in these schools,” he said.
Multiple attempts to get official comments were unsuccessful.
Prof. Abba Idris Adam, Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Yobe State, the Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Science and Technical Schools Board, Dr. Dauda Atiyaye, both declined to grant an interview despite repeated efforts.
A breakdown of the 2025 education allocations shows that, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) received N2.16 billion, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education was allocated N7.52 billion, Science and Technical Schools Board received N2.66 billion while Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology got N589.9 million
In Yobe, parents and residents have called on the government and other agencies to provide accountability for the money that has been allocated for education.
They want to see that the basic needs of public school students are met urgently, such as providing desks and chairs, creating a respectful environment for learning.
