Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, says poor literacy and numeracy levels in northern Nigeria are the result of leadership failure and weak accountability, rather than inadequate funding.
In an X post on Tuesday, Obi reacted to recent comments by Tunji Alausa, minister of education, that the north-west and north-east regions received nearly 80 percent of donor funding allocated to education over the last decade despite recording the worst literacy outcomes in the country.
According to Obi, the development exposes deep governance problems in the education sector.
“This issue goes beyond just a lack of funding; it highlights failures in leadership, accountability, and governance,” he said.
“Financial resources alone do not guarantee proper education.”
GOVERNMENT SHOULD MANAGE RESOURCES EFFICIENTLY
The former Anambra governor said responsible management of educational funds is more important than budget figures and donor interventions.
“What truly makes a difference in education is the responsible and transparent management of these funds aimed at achieving tangible results,” he said.
Obi lamented that millions of Nigerian children still lack basic reading and writing skills despite repeated investments in the sector.
“We cannot continue to commend government budgets, donor contributions and intervention programmes while millions of children in Nigeria still lack basic reading and writing skills,” he said.
The former governor described the situation as a threat to Nigeria’s future development.
“A country that overlooks education is essentially setting itself up for cycles of poverty, insecurity, unemployment and instability,” he said.
Obi also called for greater scrutiny of how public and donor funds meant for education are utilised.
“Every kobo spent on education must lead to clear improvements in literacy rates, school enrolment, teacher performance and learning outcomes,” he said.
“Anything less is unacceptable.”
He urged Nigeria to emulate countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh, which he said prioritised education as a tool for national development.
Obi further called for reforms in school infrastructure, teacher training and monitoring systems to ensure educational interventions directly benefit students.
“We need to construct schools, train teachers, modernise educational systems and ensure every intervention directly benefits the children it is meant to serve,” he said.
