Sanwo-Olu Moves to Ban Children from Streets During School Hours

Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has announced plans to sign an executive order prohibiting school-age children from roaming the streets during school hours.

The governor said the order would reinforce enforcement mechanisms and ensure greater accountability among parents, communities and institutions responsible for ensuring children remain in school.

Sanwo-Olu disclosed this on Friday at the launch of the Lagos Education Access Fund (LEAF) and the inauguration of the board of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB).

“I will be issuing an executive order to back this up and ensure that we are putting our money where our mouth is.

“No child should be seen outside between 8.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. unless there is a very good reason that child is not in school,” the governor said.

He explained that the state was also rolling out a 25 million dollars ($25m) outcomes-based education fund designed to improve learning results for children rather than simply increasing school enrolment figures.

READ ALSO: Lagos: Sanwo-Olu Approves 13% Fare Increase on BRT, Standard Routes

According to him, the initiative, being implemented in partnership with the Education Outcome Fund (EOF) and other development partners, will support more than 200,000 children across the state.

Sanwo-Olu said the programme would prioritise bringing over 50,000 out-of-school children aged six to 14 into formal education through targeted community interventions aimed at removing barriers to attendance.

He added that the fund would also strengthen learning outcomes for about 150,000 pupils already in school, with a focus on improving literacy and numeracy.

“This initiative is not just about funding education; it is about ensuring every investment translates into real learning, real opportunity and measurable outcomes for our children,” he said.

The governor noted that the new initiative builds on Project Zero, a programme launched in 2021 to address the problem of out-of-school children in the state.

“One of our most impactful initiatives in the last 10 years has been Project Zero, through which Lagos has identified, tracked and enrolled more than 36,000 children,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu added that the state had also provided vocational training for more than 360 parents and guardians to strengthen household income and support children’s continued education.

Beneficiaries, he said, were trained in skills such as fashion designing, soap making, catering and hairdressing.

The governor further highlighted his administration’s investments in school infrastructure, noting that Lagos had constructed more schools and classrooms in the past seven years than were delivered in the previous two decades.

“We have built more schools and classrooms in the last seven years than were built in the previous 20 years,” Sanwo-Olu said.

“In one school complex alone, we are handing over 35 schools with capacity for close to 20,000 students,” he added.

He stressed that government alone could not drive sustainable education reforms, calling for stronger partnerships and shared commitment among stakeholders.

Sanwo-Olu also expressed appreciation to the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the Federal Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and EOF for supporting Lagos in advancing its education reform agenda.

Earlier, Chief Executive Officer of EOF, Amel Karboul, described Lagos as demonstrating bold leadership by adopting an accountability-driven model for financing education.

“The most important infrastructure any nation can build is educated minds,” Karboul said.

She noted that many governments invest heavily in education inputs such as infrastructure and materials without achieving real learning outcomes.

“I have seen so much money spent that does not achieve results.

“Governments can buy goods and services, but for years they could not truly buy outcomes,” she said.

Karboul explained that EOF was created to address that gap by enabling governments and partners to link education financing directly to measurable learning outcomes.

She added that the organisation, founded with support from former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and impact investment pioneer Ronald Cohen, now operates in several African countries, including Nigeria.

“Lagos is not just launching a programme today; it is creating a blueprint for the world, because the future of public finance is about delivering real impact,” she said.

At the event, Sanwo-Olu also inaugurated the LASUBEB board, appointing Hakeem Shittu as chairman.

Other members of the board include Saheed Ibikunle, Sijuade Idowu-Tiamiyu, Sherifat Adedoyin, Owolabi Falana, Adewale Babatunde, Babatunde Williams and Hakeem Lamidi.