Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has announced intentions to issue an executive order prohibiting school-age children from roaming the streets during school hours and to establish a $25 million outcomes-based education fund.
Sanwo-Olu made the announcement on Friday during the introduction of the Lagos Education Access Fund (LEAF) and the inauguration of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB).
The governor noted that the executive order would strengthen measures against out-of-school children and increase accountability among parents, communities, and institutions tasked with ensuring every school-age child attends school regularly.
“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,” he said.
He stated that LEAF reflects a strategy move away from simply increasing enrollment statistics and toward actual learning outcomes, emphasizing that access to education must translate into increased reading, numeracy, and retention.
According to him, Lagos, in collaboration with the Education Outcome Fund (EOF) and development partners, would invest $25 million in outcomes-based financing to serve over 200,000 children across the state.
He stated that the program would enroll over 50,000 out-of-school children aged six to 14 in mainstream education through systematic community outreach and interventions, removing barriers to attendance.
Sanwo-Olu noted that the initiative would also support 150,000 pupils already in school by strengthening literacy and numeracy outcomes, ensuring classroom presence translates into actual learning and long-term success.
“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,” the governor said.
He stated that LEAF builds on Project Zero, an initiative initiated in 2021 to target out-of-school children that has already brought over 36,000 children back into formal education across 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 stated that in addition to returning children to school, the state had provided vocational training to over 360 parents and guardians in order to enhance their livelihoods and strengthen their ability to continue their education.
He stated that beneficiaries received training in fashion design, soap manufacturing, cooking, and hairdressing, demonstrating the government’s acknowledgment that family economic stability is still crucial to school retention and continuous attendance.
The governor also stated that his administration has actively increased education infrastructure, constructing more schools and classrooms in the last seven years than in the previous two decades combined.
“We have built more schools and classrooms in the last seven years than were built in the previous 20 years,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The governor highlighted his administration’s education infrastructure expansion.
“In one school complex alone, we are handing over 35 schools with capacity for close to 20,000 students,” he said.
He also described it as evidence of sustained investment.
Sanwo-Olu said meaningful progress in education could not be achieved by government alone, stressing that strong partnerships, shared responsibility, and collective commitment remain essential to securing children’s futures.
He commended the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the Federal Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and the EOF for assisting Lagos in promoting a progressive education reform model.
Earlier, EOF Chief Executive Officer Dr. Amel Karboul highlighted Lagos as an example of daring leadership, stating that the state is embracing an accountability-driven education finance approach that is rarely used around the world.
Karboul, a former Tunisian minister, said she was personally influenced by her country’s early decision to prioritize education funding, calling it the most powerful national infrastructure.
“The most important infrastructure any nation can build is educated minds,” Karboul said.
She praised Lagos for adopting a strategy that prioritizes learning, dignity, opportunity, and measurable outcomes.
She claimed that governments frequently overspent on education inputs such as buildings, books, and services while failing to achieve tangible results such as enhanced learning, school retention, or long-term employment.
“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.
According to Karboul, EOF was created to reverse that tendency by allowing governments and partners to pay for results rather than inputs through finance that is directly linked to measurable outcomes.
She stated that the organization, founded with the help of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and impact investment pioneer Sir Ronald Cohen, now operates in various African countries, including Nigeria.
According to her, Lagos is not only beginning a program but also developing a model that may be used by other Nigerian governments and countries looking to reform education financing in the face of fiscal restrictions.
“Lagos is not just launching a program today; it is creating a blueprint for the world, because the future of public finance is about delivering real impact,” she said.
According to Karboul, LEAF has the potential to become a worldwide reference point for how governments, philanthropies, and development organizations may interact differently by directly tying money to learning results and child-centered outcomes.
At the event, Sanwo-Olu inaugurated the LASUBEB board, naming Dr. Hakeem Shittu as chairman to monitor implementation and improve accountability in the state’s basic education system.
Other board members include Dr. Saheed Ibikunle, Mrs. Sijuade Idowu-Tiamiyu, Dr. Sherifat Adedoyin, Mr. Owolabi Falana, Mr. Adewale Babatunde, Mr. Babatunde Williams, and Mr. Hakeem Lamidi.
