Gombe State Governor and Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum, Muhammadu Yahaya, has called on Northern governors to adopt a coordinated regional strategy to tackle the growing number of out of school children, warning that poverty, insecurity and educational exclusion are threatening the region future.

He said Northern states could no longer afford to operate without a common development agenda.

Yahaya spoke on Saturday at the 2026 Biennial Dialogue, Lecture, Dinner, Awards and Recognition Ceremony organised by the Barewa Old Boys Association, Gombe State Chapter.

The event focused on the theme, The Scourge of Out of School Children in Nigeria and the Implications for National Security and National Development. He said collective action, rather than political differences, was necessary to reverse the region educational decline.

The governor said Nigeria had an estimated 18 million children outside the formal education system, with Northern Nigeria accounting for a disproportionate share. He described the situation as more than an educational challenge, warning that it had serious implications for economic development, social stability and national security.

He said, We must therefore recognise that the out of school children crisis is not merely an educational problem. It is a development emergency and a national security concern.

Yahaya said security operations alone could not guarantee lasting peace without deliberate investments in education, employment opportunities and human capital development. He argued that Northern governors must look beyond individual state policies and develop a regional framework capable of addressing the challenges confronting the region, including low literacy, poor enrolment and insecurity around schools.

He suggested that every Northern state should consider establishing institutions modelled after Barewa College to expand access to quality education and promote unity among young people from different states. He said the Barewa Old Boys Association can design a framework for establishing Barewa extensions in all the states of the North, with similar institutions sharing the philosophy of Barewa College. He pledged to present the proposal to the Northern Governors Forum for consideration.

The governor disclosed that his administration had constructed about 400 primary schools in Gombe State, while also working to improve teacher training and recruit qualified teachers. He said Gombe continues to accommodate students from different parts of the country, reflecting its longstanding tradition of hospitality and inclusion, and remains ready to collaborate with partners on education and wellbeing.

Yahaya urged stakeholders, including parents, communities, traditional and religious leaders, the private sector and civil society, to join the effort to return children to school. He said fixing education in the North cannot rest on government alone, and called for renewed unity and cooperation among Northern states to secure the future of the next generation.