Nigeria, Oct. 6 -- Claim: Niger State Governor Umaru Bago recently claimed a UNICEF report predicted that by 2027, there would be no male child in Grade 7/JSS1 in Shiroro and Munya local government areas because children had left school and gone into artisanal mining.

Verdict: False.

UNICEF told PREMIUM TIMES it did not conduct or commission a study on the impact of artisanal mining on children's school attendance in Shiroro or other Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Niger State.

Niger State Governor Umaru Bago recently claimed that a UNICEF report projected that by 2027, some areas of the state would have no male children in Grade 7/JSS1 because children had left the classrooms to engage in artisanal mining.

Mr Bago made the statement...