- Obi lamented that tertiary school enrollment in Nigeria is less than 15%, compared to global average of 55%.
- He stated that Nigeria’s budget priorities are misaligned.
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, has asked the federal government to priorities resources allocation to critical sectors
In a series of tweet on his X official page on Monday, Obi lamented the poor state of Nigeria’s education sector, citing the low enrollment rates in secondary and tertiary institutions compared to global averages.
The former Anambra governor highlighted the disparity between the country’s spending priorities and its development needs.
He said that while the global average for secondary school enrollment is above 80%, Nigeria’s rate is a mere 28%.
Similarly, the global average for tertiary school enrollment is above 55%, while Nigeria’s rate is less than 15%.
“As the giant of Africa that we are, I remain concerned about our fiscal indiscipline as a nation. Imagine the situation in our education sector, where the global average of secondary school enrollment is above 80 per cent, while in Nigeria it is 28 per cent,” Obi wrote.
“The global average of tertiary school enrollment is above 55 per cent, while Nigeria is less than 15 per cent. Yet our budget for the National Assembly car parks is N6 billion. The budget for the National Assembly recreational facilities is N4 billion.
Obi called for a shift in priorities, urging the government to embrace financial discipline and allocate resources to critical areas of human and national development.
“Approved for the construction of hostels in 12 tertiary institutions is just N1 billion. It is time for us to stop this financial indiscipline and embrace financial discipline by prioritising the allocation of resources to the critical areas of human and national development.”
He emphasised the need to address the country’s educational challenges and invest in its future.