Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have said the recent #EndBadGoverance protest, particularly in Nigeria’s northern region, has underscored the reality the alarming number of out-of-school children in the region is a ticking time bomb.
TifaCDi and Policy House are issuing a stern warning to the federal government and state governors in the north to address this crisis with immediate and decisive action.
“The images of young people at the forefront of the protests are a stark reminder of the consequences of neglecting education,” said Taiwo Akerele, Executive Director of TifaCDi and Policy House. “These are children who should be in classrooms, acquiring knowledge and skills, not engaged in acts of vandalism and destruction.”
Akerele emphasised that the destruction of critical infrastructure during the protests, allegedly perpetrated by young people, is a direct result of systemic failures in education, stressing that the absence of quality education leaves a void that is easily filled by extremist ideologies and criminal activities.
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TifaCDi and Policy House are calling for a comprehensive overhaul of the education sector in northern Nigeria which includes a substantial increase in budgetary allocation for basic education, robust teacher training and development programs and investment in modern educational infrastructure and resources.
“We cannot afford to ignore this crisis any longer,” Akerele added. “The future of our nation depends on educating our youth. Failure to act now will have catastrophic consequences for generations to come.”
“The North East and North West as a geopolitical block needs to increase its spending and investment in the basic education sector by 25% over the next 10 years to avoid the cliff of the danger zone of human capital collapse’ Akerele added.
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