Alhaji Muhammad Angulu Loko, the Young Progressives Party (YPP) chairmanship candidate for Abaji Area Council in the upcoming February 21, 2026 election, has described the state of infrastructural decay in rural primary schools as "quite worrisome."

Loko stated this on Saturday during an electioneering campaign tour to the village heads of Dogon-Ruwa, Tungan-Usman, Gasakpa, and Mawogi communities in the Gawu ward of the area council.

He said it was unfortunate that school structures built years ago have fallen into such dilapidated states, negatively affecting the education of children across most rural communities.

He pointed out that many classrooms have had their roofs blown off by windstorms, while other schools have become "ghosts of their former selves," forcing children to stay at home.

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The candidate remarked that most of the classrooms built during his first tenure as chairman of Abaji Area Council (2003-2005) have never been renovated, noting that many now have cracked walls and caved-in ceilings.

"I almost wept when I saw pupils sitting under mango trees to learn because their classrooms are in a dilapidated state. This makes the environment unconducive for both pupils and teachers," he said.

He added that the poor state of Local Education Authority (LEA) primary schools in these communities has discouraged parents from sending their children to school altogether.

Furthermore, the chairmanship candidate disclosed that 65 percent of teachers posted to rural schools are not punctual, a factor he says further contributes to low enrollment.

He assured the communities that his administration would revamp and upgrade schools facing infrastructural deficits if given the mandate in the February 21 election.

"We cannot allow the future of our children to remain in this situation. It is unacceptable that 65 percent of children in rural communities no longer attend school due to infrastructural decay and the absence of teachers," Loko said.