Nigeria Reopens 23 Schools After 10-Year Shutdown

For 10 years, children in four Nigerian communities faced an impossible choice: trek miles to distant schools or stay home to help their families farm.

Rofiyat, now seven, spent her days picking peppers and drying cassava instead of learning to read. Her neighbor Hannah stayed home for over a year before walking 40 minutes daily to reach the nearest open school. Across Oyo State's affected communities, hundreds of children grew up without classrooms, and some teenage girls became pregnant before ever finishing elementary school.

The state government had closed 23 primary schools in 2014 over safety concerns tied to land boundary conflicts between four local government areas. Teachers were transferred away, and the buildings became overgrown with trees.

Then in August 2023, former Baptist pastor Kolade Oladele visited one shuttered school and couldn't believe what he saw. He immediately persuaded the local church to open a temporary classroom in its building. Within weeks, over 40 children were attending, including Rofiyat and her step-sister Thaibat, who received donated uniforms, books, and pencils.

Oladele's grassroots initiative caught the attention of advocacy groups who pressured the state government to act. In 2024, all 23 schools officially reopened.

Hannah Wabare can now attend the school that sits just steps from her home. Rofiyat and Thaibat walk to class instead of the fields. When headmistress Mutiat Akindele arrived at the reopened Gudugbu Orile school in 2025, she personally visited families to encourage enrollment, knowing many parents had given up hope their children would ever attend school.

The Ripple Effect

The reopening addresses a critical gap in Nigeria's education system. Oyo State ranks among the country's top 20 states for out-of-school children, with over 700,000 kids between ages three and 18 not attending classes. In the four affected areas alone, nearly 86,000 children lacked access to education during the shutdown.

Community leader Okikiola Samuel watched his village transform during the closure, with teenage pregnancies rising as opportunities disappeared. Now he's seeing families return, children in uniforms heading to rebuilt classrooms each morning.

One pastor's shock at an overgrown schoolyard sparked a movement that brought learning back to thousands of children who deserved better.