'I want to be everything': Nigeria's herder community heads to school – a first in generations

In 2016, when the terrorist organisation Boko Haram seized control of Abadam, a local government area in Borno State, North East Nigeria, Aisha’s family fled, leaving behind their livestock, farmland, and more.

The Fulani family sought refuge in Maiduguri, the state’s capital.

They found shelter at the Shuwari II for Internally Displaced Persons camp, joining thousands of others who had been uprooted by the conflict.

Aisha did not access formal education back in Abadam. Had she stayed there, she would have likely continued to tend cattle and, sooner than later, become a milkmaid. She may also have been married off at the age of 12. These are trends noticed among people in the community and of Aisha’s circumstances.

But now, as the eldest child in her family, she is the first one to have the opportunity to go to school. Today, Aisha Malik is a secondary school student, among over 500 enrolled in the Aisha Buhari Integrated Secondary Fulani school in Maiduguri.

“I want to become a medical doctor to help my people; I also want to become a journalist to be seen on social media. In fact, I want to be everything,” she said.

The school was founded by the Borno State Government in 2018, during the tenure of...

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