ICPC, Almajiri Education Commission Forge Anti-Corruption Alliance to Rescue Nigeria’s 18.3 Million Out-of-School Children

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has reaffirmed its commitment to forging a strategic partnership with the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education (NCAOOSE) to strengthen anti-corruption advocacy and accelerate efforts to return millions of vulnerable Nigerian children to school. 

The assurance was given by the ICPC Chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, when he received the Executive Secretary of NCAOOSE, Mohammed Sani Idris, and his delegation during a courtesy visit to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

Welcoming the delegation, Aliyu emphasized that addressing the crisis of out-of-school children is critical to Nigeria’s long-term stability and leadership continuity. He described NCAOOSE as a vital institution in safeguarding the nation’s future, noting from his experience as former Attorney-General of Jigawa State that keeping children in school remains one of the country’s most pressing challenges.

According to him, children must grow under responsible parental guidance while receiving quality education, warning that young people should not be forced to shoulder responsibilities beyond their age.

“The issues raised by the Executive Secretary are not merely administrative; they are fundamental to the preservation of our nation’s future leadership,” Aliyu said.

To translate discussions into concrete outcomes, the ICPC Chairman proposed the immediate finalisation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both agencies. The agreement, he explained, would provide a framework for collaboration and enable the Commission to deploy strategic anti-corruption mechanisms such as Corruption Risk Assessment to prevent financial leakages and enhance transparency in NCAOOSE’s intervention programmes.

Aliyu also highlighted the role of the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria in promoting ethical values and strengthening institutional integrity. He assured that the ICPC would leverage the academy and other initiatives to support the education commission in delivering its mandate effectively and transparently.

To kick-start the process, the ICPC Chairman directed the Commission’s departments of Public Education, External Cooperation and the Academy to immediately engage their counterparts in NCAOOSE to identify areas of synergy and advance the proposed collaboration.

Earlier in his remarks, Idris painted a grim picture of the national education crisis, citing statistics from UNICEF which estimate that Nigeria has more than 18.3 million out-of-school children.

He said the situation particularly affects Almajiri and other vulnerable children who, beyond missing out on education, are exposed to severe risks including sexual abuse, medical neglect and other societal dangers.

Idris lamented what he described as the growing abdication of parental responsibility, stressing that child neglect and street begging contradict both moral values and religious teachings. He noted that confronting corruption-related factors affecting advocacy and resource allocation is essential to closing the education gap.

Despite operating about 200 learning centres and identifying over 700,000 out-of-school children for intervention, Idris revealed that the Commission’s operations are severely limited by inadequate funding, lack of office infrastructure and insufficient operational vehicles.

He therefore appealed to the ICPC Chairman to use his office to advocate improved budgetary support for the Commission from relevant authorities responsible for funding government agencies.

Both institutions concluded the meeting with a firm commitment to sustained collaboration, expressing optimism that their partnership will promote transparency, strengthen advocacy and help tackle the systemic factors fuelling Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis.