The closure of the boarding section of Government Secondary School Rimi in Kano State has left thousands of students stranded and futures uncertain.
Once a hub of academic excellence that attracted students across Kano and neighbouring states, the school now struggles with dilapidated structures, insufficient teachers, and dwindling enrollment.
Najib Salihu, a young boy from Gediya in Sumaila Local Government Area, sat idly under a tree in his community when I met him. His helplessness was obvious.
Salihu explained that he had been in Senior Secondary 1 when the boarding school was shut down in 2021. With no secondary school in his community, his education ended abruptly.
“I wanted to continue my studies, but there is no school nearby. Since they closed Rimi boarding school, I’ve been at home farming sugarcane,” he said, his eyes fixed on the ground.
Another student, Aliyu Danladi from Ziyara in Takai Local Government Area, narrated a similar fate. Aliyu had dreamed of becoming a medical doctor, but the closure crushed that ambition.
“When I heard the school was closed, I lost hope. My dream to study medicine is over,” he said.
For those still attending as day students, conditions are barely better. Usman Alhassan, an SS1 student, admitted that many of his classmates no longer come to school.
“Since the boarding was stopped, teachers stopped coming too. We hardly have classes,” he explained.
Decline of a Once Great School
According to Abba Munkaila Yahaya Rimi, an old boy of the school, Government Secondary School Rimi once boasted over 20 teachers and more than 3,000 students drawn from across Kano and beyond.
“Today, the school has fewer than five teachers and about 200 students. The boarding section gave life to this school. Without it, everything is gone.”
During my one-hour visit to the school, not a single security personnel was in sight. Over 20 senior and junior teachers’ quarters now lie in ruins, roofless and abandoned.
The football pitch and surrounding areas have been taken over by locals for farming.
Zawalu Muhammad Rimi, a former Senior Master Admin, expressed deep disappointment.
“This school used to be a shining light for our children. The government should urgently renovate it and restore the boarding facilities.
Without that, Rimi will die completely,” he lamented.
Why the Boarding Was Closed
The Kano State government shut down Government Secondary School Rimi’s boarding house in 2021, along with several other boarding schools.
The decision followed a wave of abductions in northern Nigeria, including the kidnapping of 317 students from Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara State, in February of that year.
Fearing similar attacks, authorities opted to close boarding facilities as a security precaution. But while the move may have been necessary to protect lives, it has carried devastating consequences for education in Kano’s rural areas.
Community Voices
Community leaders say they have repeatedly appealed to government authorities to rescue the school, but nothing has changed.
Munkaila Ibrahim Rimi, a community elder, said, “We have taken our complaints to the government, but nobody is listening. Our children are wasting time at home.”
The Councillor of Rimi Ward, Isa Galadima Adamu Rimi, warned that idleness is pushing young people toward criminal activities.
“When children are not in school, they are on the streets. Some have already started getting involved in crime. The absence of the boarding house has made matters worse.”
Galadima urged Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to intervene urgently.
Government Response
In July 2025, Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf approved N3.3 billion for the renovation and upgrade of 13 affected public boarding schools across the state.
The State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Ali Haruna Makoda, insisted that the administration is committed to reversing years of neglect.
“The schools are part of the things we inherited from the previous administration. As you know, they closed down the schools for reasons best known to them.
But our government is determined to renovate abandoned schools and return them to proper use, starting with the 13 girls' boarding schools,” he assured.
The Bigger Picture
Education experts warn that the longer schools like Rimi remain abandoned, the deeper the crisis becomes. The closure has already caused a surge in school dropouts, particularly among rural children who have no access to alternative schools.
The situation has also highlighted the vulnerability of rural communities, where education largely depends on public boarding schools. Without them, access becomes nearly impossible for children who live far from urban centres.
No doubt, the conversion of Government Secondary School Rimi from a thriving boarding school to a struggling day school illustrates the unintended consequences of policies driven by insecurity.
What was meant to protect children has, over time, deprived them of the very education they need to build a better future.
The state government’s promises of renovation are welcome, but for communities in Sumaila, Takai, and beyond, action cannot come soon enough. Each passing day without intervention pushes more children away from classrooms and into uncertainty.
For now, the empty halls of Rimi stand as a reminder of lost opportunities, abandoned dreams, and the urgent need to rebuild hope.
