“It tells Nigeria that broken systems can be rebuilt, that public schools can shine again, and that when leaders treat education as a sacred duty, they transform not just classrooms but the destiny of generations”.
BY ABDULKADIR AHMED IBRAHIM
There are moments in a nation’s history when a single state lights a lamp so bright it becomes impossible to ignore. In 2025, that lamp is burning in Kano, where classrooms once dimmed by neglect are now glowing with triumph, hope, and renewal.
To further confirm this assertion, the National Examinations Council (NECO) results for 2025 have crowned Kano state as the overall best-performing state in Nigeria’s Senior School Certificate Examinations. At a time when over 1.3 million candidates across the country sat for the exams, it was Kano’s 68,159 students who stood tallest, securing five credits and above including Mathematics and English, outshining giants like Lagos and Oyo states.
This was not a miracle. It was the fruit of foresight, hard work and patriotism from the side of the leadership in the state. When Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf declared a state of emergency in education in the early days of his administration, skeptics dismissed it as another political slogan. But he silenced doubt with action: dedicating 30 per cent of state’s budget to education, perhaps the highest in the federation and further rolling out a recovery plan that turned empty rhetoric into living reform.
Undoubtedly, today, the dividends are evident in every corner of the state. Dilapidated schools have been reborn, parents relieved of uniform and textbook costs, students inspired with scholarships, and girls encouraged to stay in school. Yet, perhaps the most powerful symbol of this renewal unfolded not in the quiet release of exam results, but in the thunderous applause of a stadium.
On Thursday, September 18, the Sani Abacha Indoor Stadium in Kano transformed into something far larger than a venue. It became a cathedral of learning, a festival of renewal, a national stage where history was rewritten with chalk and paper. Before a crowd of thousands including teachers, parents, students, elders, and youth, Governor Yusuf presided over the formal recruitment of 4,315 teachers. They were drawn from the BESDA volunteer corps, elevated now into permanent and pensionable staff.
The scene was cinematic. When the governor handed out the first letter, a ripple of emotion coursed through the crowd. Soon, the entire stadium was ablaze with a single gesture: teachers holding their letters aloft, lifting them as though they were banners of liberation, documents of dignity, pledges to the unborn.
Indeed, the roar that followed was not mere applause, it was a nation’s heartbeat. Women ululated, men shouted “Allahu Akbar,” and young children climbed onto their fathers’ shoulders to glimpse the faces of those entrusted with their future.
Some teachers wept openly, their tears streaking down cheeks lit by the floodlights. Others clutched the letters to their chests as though they were sacred scrolls.
For many, this was more than a job; it was validation, security, a covenant with tomorrow. In that moment, the ceremony felt less like a state event and more like a national rebirth, an oath of collective renewal.
Governor Abba Yusuf’s voice rose above the din, solemn yet stirring: “Dedication, integrity, and character-building must be your compass as you shape the future of our children.” His words echoed like a charge to soldiers before battle, except this army carried no guns, only pens and chalk, armed with the power to dismantle ignorance.
This was no isolated act. Since 2023, Yusuf has absorbed over 15,000 teachers into Kano’s education service: 5,500 in 2023, 5,632 in 2024, 4,000 in May 2025, and now 4,315 more. Alongside them, 2,616 new recruits are already in the pipeline.
To empower this force, his government has doled out a ₦200 million vehicle loan scheme, distributed 444 motorcycles and 300 computers for supervision, reopened shut boarding schools, and engaged 17,000 watchmen to guard the public schools.
The impact is visible on the ground. At Rumfa College, classrooms once broken by neglect now echo with ambition. At Government Girls College, GGC Dala, Kano City, students like 17-year-old Fatima Sulaiman speak with unshakable confidence: “We have good teachers, new classrooms, and encouragement to push harder. This is not just our success it is Kano’s success.”
Parents echo this pride. “I didn’t buy a single textbook or uniform for my daughter this year,” said Aisha Ibrahim (a Widow) in Gwale Local Government Area. “The money I saved has gone into enrolling my other children. What Governor Yusuf has done is to give parents like me hope again.”
Across Nigeria, eyes are fixed on Kano. Professor Emmanuel of the University of Benin, called the feat “a wake-up call.” For him, “Kano has shown that with serious investment, public schools can compete with the best anywhere in Nigeria. The model should not just be admired; it should be replicated.”
Dr. Aliyu Mashi, a policy analyst in Abuja, added: “The Kano story is proof that leadership, when anchored on vision, can transform education from rhetoric into reality. This is not about one state; it is about what Nigeria must do if it is to prepare for the future.”
For Governor Abba K. Yusuf, the moment is both victory and responsibility. “Our reforms are clearly yielding results, and this outstanding performance by our students proves that Kano is on the right path. Education remains our top priority, and we will continue working tirelessly to ensure no child in Kano is left behind,” he affirmed.
Indeed, Kano’s triumph in NECO 2025 is more than a milestone—it is a declaration. It tells Nigeria that broken systems can be rebuilt, that public schools can shine again, and that when leaders treat education as a sacred duty, they transform not just classrooms but the destiny of generations.
From the dust of neglected schools to the glory of national recognition, Kano has risen as a beacon. It is story not just about today’s students, it is about tomorrow’s leaders, thinkers, and dreamers. It is about the moment when a state chooses education, and in choosing education, chooses the future not only for itself but for Nigeria.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is Building a Generation for a Brighter Future.
…Abdulkadir Ahmed Ibrahim (Kwakwatawa) a Fellow of Nigerian Guild of Editors, FNGE, Veteran Journalist, Media Consultant and former National Vice President of NUJ, writes from Kano.
