GOMBE GOVERNOR ADVOCATES NATIONWIDE EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT PLAN
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By: Balogun Ibrahim
Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, has advocated the adoption of a 25-year national plan on Early Childhood Development (ECD), urging the Federal Government to make child development a central pillar of Nigeria’s long-term growth strategy.
He made the call on Wednesday at the National Development Update, a bi-annual forum organised by the World Bank in Abuja, which brought together top government officials and economic experts, including the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, and Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso.
Represented by Gombe State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Muhammad Magaji, Yahaya stressed the need for a coordinated national framework that places ECD at the heart of policy formulation.
He said Nigeria must move beyond short-term interventions and commit to a long-term strategy that aligns federal, state, and local government efforts, noting that the early years of a child’s life are too critical to be neglected.
Magaji added that such a framework should harmonise policies across all levels of government to strengthen human capital development from early childhood.
He also emphasised that investment in early childhood development is essential for building a productive and resilient population, adding that sustainable economic growth depends not only on infrastructure but also on deliberate investment in human capital.
The governor highlighted Gombe State’s progress in foundational learning, noting that over 350,000 children have been enrolled in schools through the establishment of nursery and kindergarten programmes across all local government areas, supported by World Bank-backed initiatives.
He reaffirmed Gombe’s commitment to forward-looking policies aimed at strengthening human capital, building resilient communities, and ensuring long-term prosperity.
The forum, themed “Shaping Nigeria’s Future through Early Childhood Development,” focused on integrating health, nutrition, water, sanitation, and foundational education systems, in line with the World Bank’s emphasis on addressing early development gaps.
Yahaya also urged other states to adopt similar approaches, stressing that sustained investment in early childhood development is key to building a productive and future-ready population.
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