MonITNG, a civic tech watchdog, has raised alarm over the heartbreaking state of Government Technical College, Bida, Niger State — once a hub for skill training, now a shadow of itself.
The school, which used to produce skilled carpenters, electricians, and mechanics, is today filled with collapsed structures and blown-off roofs, leaving classrooms unsafe for learning. For many parents, the choice has become painful: withdraw their children, scrape money for private schools, or simply keep them at home — where some are forced into menial jobs and farm work.
This reality is more painful when billions of naira have already been allocated to education by past governments, coupled with Federal and international support. Even today, despite the Bago administration’s claim that 70% of the 2025 budget is going into education and health, and with ₦250 billion UBEC intervention funds lying available, the college remains in total ruins.
MonITNG, in its statement on Saturday, described the situation as nothing short of betrayal. “From our monitoring across Niger State, the so-called 70% allocation is only media propaganda,” it said, noting that most schools and health facilities are still dilapidated, with cracked walls, leaking roofs, and collapsed classrooms.
The group stressed that technical colleges are not just schools — they are lifelines. They equip young people with practical skills that put food on the table, reduce crime, and strengthen the local economy. Ignoring them, it warned, is pushing thousands of young Nigerians into poverty, idleness, and insecurity.
MonITNG is now calling on Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago to go beyond words and declare a state of emergency in education and health. “Education is not a privilege; it is the foundation of development. Niger State cannot continue like this,” the group insisted.
