FG’s Admission on Education Reflects Leadership Failure – Obi
...Urges Greater Investment in Human Capital, Healthcare, Job Creation
Former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has described the Federal Government’s decision to scrap the policy separating junior and senior secondary schools as a reflection of leadership failure, following reports that over 20 million pupils drop out before reaching secondary education.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had disclosed that the policy failed to achieve its objective and instead worsened access to education across the country.
Reacting to the development on Friday, Obi said: “The Federal Government has finally admitted to its poor management of the education sector.”
He cited the Minister’s admission, noting that it is evident in recent examination results.
Obi pointed out that in 2024, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) reported that only 38.32% of candidates passed both English Language and Mathematics in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), while only 32% passed the computer-based WASSCE in 2025.
He lamented that the poor performance has remained consistent across major examinations over the past two years, stressing that the admission is tragic because education is the most vital contributor to human capital development, which forms the foundation for the growth and economic development of any society.
According to him, Nigeria cannot overcome economic stagnation without prioritising education, healthcare and job creation to lift millions of unemployed youths out of poverty.
“As successful Asian nations have demonstrated, educational excellence requires sustained investment in curriculum development, motivated teachers, and better learning environments,” Obi stated.
He, however, decried what he described as the Federal Government’s continued neglect of the education sector, noting that in the 2026 budget, education received only ₦3.52 trillion, representing 6.17% of total expenditure, down from 7.87% in 2025 and well below UNESCO’s recommended benchmark of 15–20%.
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) described the low allocation as evidence of the government’s failure to recognise education as a key driver of sustained economic growth.
Obi also cited education advocate Alex Onyia, who recently revealed that Nigeria failed to sponsor students to the International STEM and Mathematics Olympiads due to a lack of funding.
He expressed dissatisfaction that the government could sponsor hundreds of delegates to what he described as irrelevant international conferences while failing to support some of the country’s brightest students on the global stage.
“The Minister’s admission reflects a broader failure of public leadership. The issue is not the JSS/SSS policy itself, but the lack of commitment to properly fund, manage, and deliver quality education,” he said.
Obi further highlighted his administration’s record in Anambra State, saying committed leadership can transform educational outcomes. “Through effective funding, oversight, provision of laptops, generators, internet connectivity, and other learning aids, we turned the sector around.”
“For example, our effort in providing computers across all secondary schools (public and private in the state) was recognised by HP Africa Head, who declared that Anambra had procured the largest number of laptops for school children of any subnational government in Africa.”
Obi maintained that, for the future of society, Nigerian leaders must deliberately invest in education, healthcare and job creation.
He reiterated that failing to do the right thing is equivalent to abusing society, adding that the society abused today would take its revenge on everyone tomorrow.
