Gov Yahaya Merges Gombe Education Ministries In Major Structural Shake-up

Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has announced a major restructuring of the state’s education administration with the merger of the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Education into a single ministry. He described the move as a strategic step to strengthen policy coordination and improve service delivery across the sector.

The governor disclosed this on Friday while receiving the report of the Taskforce Committee on the Reforms and Revitalization of Basic and Technical Education at the Government House in Gombe.

He said the restructuring marks the beginning of broader reforms aimed at repositioning the education sector in line with the state’s 10-year development agenda, DEVAGOM.

“We will do structural adjustments in the education sector. I can even say that we have started because I have now merged the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Education to become one ministry, which is what is obtainable even at the federal level. This will strengthen coordination, improve policy implementation and enhance service delivery across all levels of education,” Governor Yahaya said.

The governor also pledged immediate action on the recommendations contained in the taskforce report, describing the document as a roadmap for revitalising basic and technical education in the state.

Governor Yahaya said his administration inherited an education sector facing significant challenges in 2019 but has since invested heavily in infrastructure, teacher development, school enrolment, institutional reforms and improved access to quality education.

He reaffirmed his commitment to leaving the sector in a better state than he met it.

Chairperson of the taskforce and Commissioner for Education, Associate Professor Aishatu Umar Maigari, said the committee was inaugurated in November 2025 to undertake a comprehensive review of basic and technical education in the state and recommend practical reforms.

According to her, the committee assessed challenges relating to teachers, infrastructure, governance, student welfare, school security and community participation, with its findings organised into eight priority reform clusters requiring urgent government intervention.

Presenting the report, education consultant and former Kaduna State Commissioner for Education, Mr. Tom Mataimaki Maiyashi, commended Governor Inuwa for constituting the high-powered committee, saying the recommendations were practical, realistic and capable of transforming Gombe’s education system if faithfully implemented.

The taskforce included former Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education, Dr. Nura A. Yakubu; former Universal Basic Education Commission Executive Secretary, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi; SUBEB Executive Chairman, Dr. Sadiq Gombe; and other education experts and senior government officials.