The Commissioner of Education in Adamawa State, Dr Umar Garba Pella, says Nigeria’s failure to invest in education has resulted in significant spending on insecurity.
Pella made this assertion in Yola on Monday during the commemoration of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack.
The commissioner, a former lecturer, emphasized that education had been the greatest casualty of the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast.
According to him, Nigeria’s large pool of uneducated or poorly educated individuals provides a ready supply of recruits for extremist groups.
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“When you deny a child education, you attack education,” Pella said.
“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 highlighted the devastating impact of Boko Haram’s attacks on educational infrastructure and the stigma surrounding education in affected areas.
He emphasized the need for increased investment in education to mitigate the effects of insecurity.
Stephen Medugu, Focal Person of the Education in Emergencies Working Group, identified additional threats to education, including student abductions, land encroachments, and natural disasters.
Medugu urged the Adamawa State Government to expand access to technical and vocational education, empowering citizens for self-employment and reducing reliance on formal education.
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