CAN NOMADIC EDUCATION END INSECURITY IN THE NORTH?
When discussions about ending banditry and insecurity in Northern Nigeria arise, attention often turns to military offensives, intelligence gathering, surveillance technology, and the deployment of security personnel. While these measures remain important, the persistence of violent crimes across many parts of the North suggests that force alone may not be enough. Increasingly, experts are drawing attention to another factor that has received far less attention: education.
At the centre of this conversation is the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE), a federal institution headquartered in Kaduna. Established more than three decades ago to provide education for Nigeria’s nomadic populations, the Commission was envisioned as a bridge between marginalized pastoral communities and the Nigerian state.
Today, however, as insecurity continues to plague many of the same communities it was created to serve, questions are being asked about whether the Commission has fulfilled its mandate and whether a revitalized nomadic education system could help address some of the root causes of banditry and violent extremism.
The National Commission for Nomadic Education was established in 1989 by the administration of former military President General Ibrahim Babangida. The idea behind its creation was simple but profound. Millions of Nigerians engaged in pastoralism, fishing, and migrant farming lived largely outside the reach of conventional education because of their mobile lifestyles. Children moved with their families across vast distances in search of grazing land, fishing opportunities, or seasonal farming activities, making attendance at conventional schools almost impossible.
Recognizing the danger of leaving such a significant segment of the population without access to education, the Federal Government established the Commission to design flexible learning systems capable of reaching these communities wherever they were. The Commission was mandated to formulate policies on nomadic education, establish and supervise schools, train teachers, conduct research, and promote literacy among nomadic populations while preserving their cultural identity and way of life.
At the time, the initiative was widely regarded as one of the most innovative educational interventions in Africa. It acknowledged that equal access to education could not be achieved through a one-size-fits-all model and that special measures were needed to integrate historically excluded populations into national development.
More than 35 years later, however, the realities on the ground present a mixed picture. The Commission has undoubtedly recorded notable achievements. Thousands of nomadic schools have been established across different parts of the country. Innovative learning models, including mobile classrooms and radio-based educational programmes, have been introduced. Teachers have been trained, literacy campaigns conducted, and awareness created about the importance of education among pastoral communities.
In recent years, the Commission has intensified efforts to address one of Nigeria’s most persistent educational challenges through the Accelerated Basic Education Programme (ABEP), a special intervention designed to reintegrate out-of-school nomadic children into formal learning. The programme compresses the conventional six-year primary education cycle into three years, allowing children who have missed years of schooling to catch up and transition into mainstream education more quickly.
The urgency of the initiative reflects the scale of the problem. Surveys conducted across six states and the Federal Capital Territory identified more than 61,000 out-of-school nomadic children, underscoring the magnitude of educational exclusion within pastoral communities. Working with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the National Mass Education Commission, the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, and the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), the NCNE has been developing curricula, mapping vulnerable populations, and designing implementation strategies aimed at reversing decades of neglect.
Speaking at the opening of a three-day capacity-building workshop on ABEP in Kaduna earlier this year, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Professor Haruna Usman, described the situation as a national emergency.
”Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children globally, and urgent intervention is imperative,” he said, emphasizing that educational exclusion remains one of the country’s greatest development challenges.
The Federal Government has also signaled renewed commitment to the programme. During a virtual media briefing in Abuja on August 26, 2025, the Director of Basic Education in the Federal Ministry of Education, Folake Olatunji-David, unveiled a strategy aimed at integrating at least 50 percent of nomadic children into schools by 2027.
”Out-of-school children remain one of the most disturbing challenges facing Nigeria,” she noted. “Nomadic children will not only gain access to basic education but also be equipped with practical skills.”
Under the government’s projections, 20 percent of eligible nomadic children are expected to be enrolled through the intervention by 2026, with an additional 30 percent targeted by 2027.
Beyond enrolment figures, NCNE officials argue that the success of the programme will depend on addressing cultural and social barriers, particularly those affecting girls’ education. At a capacity-building workshop in Kaduna on March 3, 2026, the Commission’s Director of Social Mobilisation and Women’s Development, Hajiya Halima Othman Yoman, challenged misconceptions that discourage female education in some communities.
”Educating girls has a direct impact on family wellbeing, health, hygiene and child upbringing,” she said. “Islam encourages both males and females to seek knowledge.”
Her remarks highlighted a broader reality: education is not simply about literacy. It is also about transforming attitudes, improving livelihoods, strengthening families, and building more resilient communities.
Yet despite these interventions, the challenge remains enormous. Across many states in Northern Nigeria, particularly in the North-West, large numbers of nomadic children remain outside the formal education system. Insecurity itself has worsened the situation, leading to school closures, displacement of communities, and disruption of educational activities.
The consequences of this educational deficit are becoming increasingly apparent.
Many of the areas most affected by banditry today are communities characterized by high levels of illiteracy, poverty, social exclusion, and limited government presence. In such environments, young people often grow up without access to education, vocational skills, civic orientation, or meaningful economic opportunities. These conditions create fertile ground for criminal recruitment and exploitation.
While it would be inaccurate to suggest that illiteracy alone causes banditry, there is little doubt that educational deprivation contributes to the cycle of poverty, marginalization, and hopelessness that criminal groups often exploit. Security analysts have repeatedly argued that the roots of insecurity in Northern Nigeria extend beyond law enforcement and include social, economic, and developmental failures that have accumulated over decades.
Aliyu Umar, aliyuumar721@gmail.com
