Twenty-one former Almajiri children have graduated as certified technology technicians and entrepreneurs under the Out-of-School Children/Almajiri-to-Tech Foundation, marking a significant milestone in efforts to tackle Nigeria’s growing out-of-school children crisis through digital skills and vocational education.
The graduates, comprising 14 boys and seven girls, completed an intensive six-month training programme that equipped them with practical skills in computer repairs, desktop assembly, robotics, drone technology, and the repair of mobile phones, laptops, power banks, televisions, microwave ovens, electric fans, torchlights and other electronic devices.
The graduation ceremony, held in Abuja, celebrated what organisers described as a remarkable transformation of children who, just months earlier, survived by begging on the streets under the Almajiri system.
Founder of the Out-of-School Children/Almajiri-to-Tech Foundation and Managing Director of New Horizons System Solutions Limited, Mr. Tim Akano, described the achievement as “a resurrection” rather than an ordinary graduation.
“About six months ago, some of these children could not even write their names in English. Today, they can build computers, robots and drones with their own hands and repair more than 10 types of electrical appliances,” Akano said.
“These children never wanted to beg. They only wanted an opportunity. Every child can succeed when given access to education, digital skills and the right opportunities.”
Akano said the foundation aims to remove every child from the streets by 2031 through its “Vision 2031” initiative and urged governments, corporate organisations and individuals to invest in practical interventions to address the country’s out-of-school children challenge.
He lamented that Nigeria’s estimated 30 million out-of-school children represent a wasted human capital resource capable of driving national economic growth if properly educated and empowered.
“If they were a country, they would rank among West Africa’s largest populations. Conferences do not empower children; action does. This problem can be solved within five years if there is sufficient political will,” he said.
Akano also called on the government to criminalise child abandonment and street begging after providing viable alternatives, enforce free and compulsory basic education, decentralise Islamiyya education into communities, and establish sustainable rehabilitation programmes for vulnerable children.
He further appealed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to provide a permanent facility for the Foundation’s Out-of-School/Almajiri Republic Technicians initiative.
Former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, who attended the event, described Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis as a national emergency rather than a regional problem.
He argued that the widely quoted estimate of 30 million out-of-school children was likely an understatement, warning that failure to address the growing population of vulnerable children and unemployed youths poses serious security risks.
“The problem of out-of-school children is not a Northern problem; it is a Nigerian problem,” Abubakar said.
“The Constitution gives every Nigerian the right to live anywhere in the country. If these children migrate to other parts of Nigeria, the problem becomes everyone’s problem. There is a system breakdown, and that system must be fixed.”
He recalled that a 2006 survey estimated the number of commercial motorcycle operators in Kano State at about three million, suggesting that current figures for vulnerable youths could be significantly higher.
“We are not safe if we fail to take care of out-of-school children and unemployed youths,” he warned.
The former police chief urged the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, as well as northern state governors, to intensify efforts to remove children from the streets.
“The government recognised the problem by creating the Almajiri Commission. It must now rise to the challenge, working with state governors to find lasting solutions,” he added.
Also speaking, the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr. Ike Neliaku, described the initiative as an outstanding example of corporate social responsibility and humanitarian service.
He commended Akano for investing private resources to equip vulnerable children with employable skills capable of transforming their lives.
“We are witnessing 21 former Almajiri children graduating with practical technical skills to repair computers, televisions, fans and other equipment. This is the kind of intervention that addresses one of Nigeria’s biggest social challenges,” Neliaku said.
He noted that the initiative aligns with the NIPR’s commitment to promoting programmes that deliver measurable value to society.
For the graduates, the programme represents more than vocational training—it marks a new beginning. Equipped with practical technology skills, they now look forward to careers in technical services, entrepreneurship and self-reliance, replacing lives once defined by uncertainty with renewed hope for a brighter future.
