Sokoto students unveil campus network to rally support for Tinubu, Aliyu

A student support group in Sokoto State has launched a campus mobilisation campaign for President Bola Tinubu and Governor Ahmed Aliyu ahead of the 2027 general elections, citing education and youth development programmes by both administrations.

The JAGABA/Ahmed Aliyu Students’ Mandate 2027, Sokoto State chapter, unveiled its campus ambassadors to coordinate the campaign across tertiary institutions in the state.
The group said the initiative would establish a network of student representatives to engage their colleagues on government policies, education interventions and youth empowerment opportunities.

Its convener, Comrade Bashar Muhammad Silame, said the ambassadors would help students understand government programmes and their impact on education and future opportunities.
“We are launching a movement that will engage students on the achievements recorded in education. Our Campus Ambassadors will take this message to campuses, engage fellow students and ensure that young people are properly informed about the interventions affecting their education and future,” he said.

The group identified the Federal Government’s Nigerian Education Loan Fund scheme as one of the major reasons for its support for Tinubu, claiming that more than 1.6 million students had benefited from over N322bn disbursed through the programme.
It also cited the Technical and Vocational Education and Training programme, which targets the training of more than one million young Nigerians across 1,600 centres.

The group further credited the Tinubu administration with ending a prolonged university strike and providing a framework for improved remuneration, research funding and working conditions for university staff.
On the state government’s record, Silame said Aliyu had prioritised education since assuming office on May 29, 2023.
He highlighted the governor’s declaration of a state of emergency in the education sector and the signing of an amended Right to Education Bill, which makes basic education an enforceable right for children in Sokoto.

The group also said the state had consistently allocated at least 26 per cent of its annual budget to education, above the UNESCO-recommended benchmark.
It cited a September 2026 assessment by the Federal Ministry of Education, which reportedly placed Sokoto among the five best-performing states in basic education after evaluating pupils in 100 schools nationwide.
Among the projects highlighted were the construction of two junior secondary schools in each of the state’s 23 local government areas between August 2023 and January 2024, alongside four additional schools in Sokoto metropolis.

The group also listed the construction of 147 classrooms, renovation of 142 others and provision of 208 VIP toilets, as well as rehabilitation projects covering 1,760 primary schools and 180 junior secondary schools.
Other initiatives it attributed to the Aliyu administration include three mega model schools across the state’s senatorial districts, three Digital Almajiri Schools in Kware, Dange-Shuni and Wamakko, and the Sokoto All Girls Science Academy.
It said 160 Early Childhood Care and Education centres had also been established or upgraded through the State Universal Basic Education Board, with support from development partners.

The group further claimed that more than 800,000 children had been enrolled in or returned to school since 2023 through a campaign targeting out-of-school children.
It also cited the introduction of a dedicated students’ bus service, the recruitment of 2,000 teachers for secondary and nomadic schools, and the payment of examination fees for eligible candidates sitting WAEC, NECO, NABTEB and NBAIS examinations.

According to the statement, the state government spent N6.79bn on local and foreign scholarships, tuition and students’ upkeep between May 2023 and September 2026.
The group also praised the government for clearing inherited tuition debts, including N555m owed to Usmanu Danfodiyo University and outstanding fees at 12 foreign universities in Sudan, Ghana and India.

It said the administration had also resettled 72 Sokoto students evacuated from conflict zones in Sudan and Ukraine.
Silame added that Sokoto State University received National Universities Commission resource verification approval in August 2026 for 24 new degree programmes, including Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing Science, Cyber Security and Engineering.