[Niger State Governor Umaru Bago](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umaru_Bago) recently asserted that a UNICEF report projected that by 2027 there would be no male children enrolled in Grade 7/JSS 1 in Shiroro and Munya local government areas because they had abandoned school to work in artisanal mining.
Fact‑checkers have classified the statement as false.
[UNICEF](https://www.unicef.org/nigeria) told Premium Times it neither carried out nor commissioned any research on the impact of artisanal mining on school attendance in Shiroro or any other Niger State LGAs.
The governor made the remark during an interview on [Channels Television](https://www.channelstv.com) Sunday Politics on 20 September. The interview occurred against a backdrop of public alarm after 37 suspected artisanal miners died while in the custody of the [Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)](https://www.nscdc.gov.ng) in Niger State.
The miners had been detained during anti‑illegal mining raids in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto zones on 15 and 16 September. According to Channels Television, 67 suspected illegal miners were taken into custody, and 37 later died, with the circumstances of the deaths still under investigation.
Speaking on the broader impact of mining, Governor Bago said: “Gold mining in Niger State has become habitual. The UNICEF report on Shiroro and Munya says that by 2027 there will not be a single male child in Grade 7/JSS 1 because they are all in artisanal mining and have left the classrooms. This is a problem for us.”
Channels Television also reported the governor’s claim, quoting him as saying that a UNICEF report warned of a total absence of Grade 7 pupils by 2027 due to mining‑related school drop‑outs.
Premium Times decided to verify the claim because of its source, the alleged author, the media outlet’s reach, and the public interest involved.
In its verification process, Premium Times contacted UNICEF Nigeria to determine whether the agency had produced or funded a study on artisanal mining’s effect on children’s school attendance in Shiroro and Munya LGAs. UNICEF’s Communication Specialist, Samuel Kaalu, responded that no such study had been conducted or commissioned by the organization.
Kaalu clarified that UNICEF had funded a different study titled “The Impact of Insecurity on Access to Education in Katsina, Zamfara and Niger States,” which was carried out by the Niger State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education. The July 2025 report examined how insecurity—such as banditry, kidnappings, school attacks and communal clashes—affected school attendance and learning continuity across Shiroro, Munya and Rafi LGAs.
While the report does mention mining activities in Niger State, noting that the discovery of mineral deposits, especially gold, has heightened community tensions and that some families have withdrawn children from school because of mining‑related disruptions, it does not focus specifically on artisanal mining or predict that no male child will be in Grade 7 by 2027.
Moreover, the document contains no statement supporting Governor Bago’s assertion about a total absence of male pupils in 2027. It merely observes that boys, when displaced by violence, are more vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups or forced child labour.
In conclusion, Governor Bago’s claim that a UNICEF report forecast a complete lack of male children in Grade 7/JSS 1 in Shiroro and Munya LGAs by 2027 is unfounded. UNICEF has confirmed it did not produce or commission any study on this specific issue.