- Dr. Umar Garba Pella links Nigeria’s insecurity to insufficient investment in education, emphasizing the need to combat Boko Haram’s impact
- Pella calls for increased educational investment to mitigate insecurity, highlighting the recruitment of uneducated individuals by extremist groups
Dr. Umar Garba Pella, the Commissioner of Education in Adamawa State, has stated that Nigeria’s failure to invest in education has significantly contributed to the country’s insecurity problems. Pella made this assertion in Yola on Monday during the International Day to Protect Education from Attack.
Pella, who is a former lecturer, highlighted that education has been one of the greatest casualties of the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast. He noted that Nigeria’s large number of uneducated or poorly educated individuals provides a ready supply of recruits for extremist groups.
“When you deny a child education, you attack education,” Pella stated. “As a country, we spend so much on insecurity because we didn’t invest enough in education. Those neglected educationally are used for destructive purposes.”
He also emphasized the devastating impact of Boko Haram’s attacks on educational infrastructure and the resulting stigma surrounding education in affected areas. He called for increased investment in education to help mitigate the effects of insecurity.
Stephen Medugu, Focal Point of the Education in Emergencies Working Group, added that other threats to education include student abductions, land encroachments, and natural disasters. Medugu urged the Adamawa State Government to expand access to technical and vocational education, empower citizens for self-employment, and reduce reliance on formal education.