Worried by the 20 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, the Senate has called for the establishment of mobile courts to enforce the Universal Basic Education Act.
On Wednesday, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, urged states and the Federal Capital Territory to adopt the measures he used in Akwa Ibom State when he was the governor.
Senator Akpabio said it entailed six months imprisonment for parents or guardians of school-aged children found on the streets or the farm during school hours.
The Senate's move for stringent action against parents or guardians of out-of-school children followed a motion sponsored by Senator Idiat Oluranti Adebule (APC-Lagos West).
In the motion, Senator Adebule said the number of children not in school in Nigeria, as documented in the 2022 report of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), was worrying.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC-Edo North) said the menace must be tackled urgently to curb poverty and crime, which he posited were propelled by illiteracy.
He accused some governors, particularly those from Northern Nigeria, of sabotaging the federal government’s efforts to make basic education free and compulsory for every child.
