By Zaharaddeen Ishaq Abubakar | Katsina Times

The Executive Director of Adult and Non-Formal Education in Katsina State, Hajiya Bilkisu Muhammad Kaikai, is spearheading a major literacy campaign across Northern Nigeria to enrol over 500,000 out-of-school youths and vulnerable adults into adult and non-formal education programmes.

The nationwide initiative, launched on July 30, 2025, in Abuja by the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education (NMEC), is designed to tackle illiteracy in all 36 states of Nigeria. In the Northwest region, each of the seven participating states Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Jigawa is expected to enrol at least 646 beneficiaries, including internally displaced persons and children from impoverished rural communities.

Speaking on the campaign’s focus, Kaikai said, “Our mission is to provide equal access to education, especially for the disadvantaged. No one should be left behind.”

To strengthen the programme’s success, Kaikai led a delegation from Katsina, Kaduna, and Zamfara to meet with Dr. Yetunde Adeniji, the Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme. They discussed aligning the feeding initiative with the adult literacy programme to increase enrolment and retention.

“We believe food support will play a key role in attracting learners and keeping them in the programme until completion,” Kaikai added.

In a bid to provide sustainable empowerment, Kaikai also met with Swiftlink, led by former senior banker Alhaji Abdulmutallib, to establish vocational training opportunities for graduates of the literacy scheme.

This literacy initiative aligns with the Katsina State Government’s agenda under Governor Dikko Umar Radda and the Federal Government’s broader efforts to reduce illiteracy and widen access to education across Northern Nigeria.