Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has said any parent in the state, who refuses to educate his children, will be liable to criminal offence, if a bill before the state House of Assembly is passed into law.

The move, which is considered radical and revolutionary, is aimed at boosting school enrolment, and providing quality education to every child in the state as required by local and international laws.

And as part of measures to enhance implementation of the new policy, government plans to build and equip 240 primary and tertiary healthcare centres in the three senatorial districts of the state.

Making this known yesterday while addressing religious, traditional and political leaders from 11 local government areas of the state, who paid him a sallah visit in Sokoto, Tambuwal said the policy became necessary in view of the high percentage of parents, who deliberately frustrated government efforts to educate children.

He said the state government had already made adequate arrangement to cater for the educational needs of its citizens, adding that anyone caught flouting the new regulation would not be spared.

The governor noted that the founders of Sokoto Caliphate made their marks in areas education and scholarship, stressing that there would be no excuse if their successors failed to provide at least basic education to the future generation.

He was optimistic that if the state got its education priorities right, many ills of the society would be taken care of.

Appealing to his visitors to support the new initiative, Tambuwal said vocational training centres and employment opportunities would be created to cater for the youths and other vulnerable members of the society.