Rahama Rihood Muhammed Farah, Kano State UNICEF field officer
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that more than 300,000 children are out of school in Katsina State alone.
Rahama Farah, Chief of UNICEF’s Kano Field Office, disclosed the figures on Thursday while presenting the Nigerian Child 2025 Report at a World Children’s Day event in Kano.
The report shows that Katsina, Kano, and Jigawa together account for 16% of Nigeria’s 10.2 million out-of-school children. Kano has nearly 900,000, Jigawa over 330,000, and Katsina more than 300,000 children not attending school.
Farah also highlighted concerns about malnutrition, citing the 2024 National Demographic and Health Survey, which shows stunting rates of 64.6% in Katsina, 51.9% in Kano, and 55.7% in Jigawa.
He noted that UNICEF is working with state governments to tackle these challenges, including funding for Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF). Katsina, Kano, and Jigawa states have each contributed over N1 billion to support child nutrition programmes.
Farah urged continued collaboration to address barriers to education, health, and nutrition, particularly in rural communities, saying the interventions aim to ensure that children can survive, thrive, and reach their full potential.
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