Nigeria's Largest City Plans to Prohibit Minors from Loitering on Streets While Classes are in Session

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has unveiled plans to issue an executive order aimed at keeping school-age children off the streets during school hours, while also launching a $25 million outcomes-based education fund.

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This announcement was made during the launch of the Lagos Education Access Fund and the inauguration of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board on Friday, as the governor seeks to strengthen measures against out-of-school children and increase accountability.

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Sanwo-Olu stated that no child should be seen outside between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. unless there is a valid reason for their absence from school, emphasizing the need for parents, communities, and institutions to ensure every school-age child attends school regularly.

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The governor explained that the Lagos Education Access Fund represents a strategic shift from merely boosting enrolment statistics to focusing on actual learning outcomes, with an emphasis on improved literacy, numeracy, and retention.

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Through a partnership with the Education Outcome Fund and development partners, Lagos will deploy $25 million in outcomes-based financing to support over 200,000 children statewide, targeting over 50,000 out-of-school children for enrolment into mainstream education.

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The programme will also support 150,000 pupils already in school by strengthening literacy and numeracy outcomes, ensuring that classroom presence translates into actual learning and long-term success.

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Sanwo-Olu noted that the initiative is not just about funding education, but about ensuring every investment translates into real learning, real opportunity, and measurable outcomes for children.

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The Lagos Education Access Fund builds on Project Zero, an intervention launched in 2021 to address out-of-school children, which has already returned over 36,000 children into formal education statewide.

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Sanwo-Olu highlighted that beyond returning children to school, the state has supported over 360 parents and guardians with vocational training to improve livelihoods and strengthen their capacity to sustain education.

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Beneficiaries were trained in various skills such as fashion designing, soap making, catering, and hairdressing, reflecting the government's recognition that family economic stability is critical to school retention and consistent attendance.

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The governor stated that his administration has expanded education infrastructure aggressively, building more schools and classrooms in the last seven years than were delivered in the previous two decades.

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Sanwo-Olu cited the construction of 35 schools with a capacity for close to 20,000 students in one school complex alone as evidence of sustained investment in education infrastructure.

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He emphasized that meaningful progress in education cannot be achieved by government alone, stressing the need for strong partnerships, shared responsibility, and collective commitment to securing children's futures.

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Sanwo-Olu thanked the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, Federal Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and the Education Outcome Fund for supporting Lagos in advancing a bold education reform model.

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Dr Amel Karboul, CEO of the Education Outcome Fund, described Lagos as an example of bold leadership, embracing an accountability-driven education financing model rarely adopted globally.

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Karboul commended Lagos for choosing a model that prioritizes learning, dignity, opportunity, and measurable results, noting that governments often spend heavily on education inputs without securing real outcomes.

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She explained that the Education Outcome Fund was created to change this pattern by enabling governments and partners to pay for results, not merely inputs, through financing tied directly to measurable outcomes.

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Karboul stated that the organisation now works across several African countries, including Nigeria, and was initiated with support from former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and impact investing pioneer Sir Ronald Cohen.

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According to Karboul, Lagos is not merely launching a programme but building a blueprint that can guide other Nigerian states and countries seeking to reform education financing amid fiscal constraints.

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She noted that the Lagos Education Access Fund could become a global reference point for how governments, philanthropies, and development institutions collaborate differently by linking funding directly to learning results and child-centred outcomes.

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At the event, Sanwo-Olu inaugurated the LASUBEB board, appointing Dr Hakeem Shittu as chairman to oversee implementation and boost accountability in the state's basic education system.

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Other members of the board include Dr Saheed Ibikunle, Mrs Sijuade Idowu-Tiamiyu, Dr Sherifat Adedoyin, Mr Owolabi Falana, Mr Adewale Babatunde, Mr Babatunde Williams, and Mr Hakeem Lamidi.

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In his acceptance speech, Shittu vowed that the board would build on Lagos state's education gains, expand access, strengthen school governance, and drive outcomes-based reforms for real impact across the state.

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Shittu stated that the board would focus on three key areas: getting vulnerable kids in school, boosting learning outcomes, and ensuring accountability for results from public spending, to ensure every child in Lagos has access to quality basic education and improved learning outcomes.