Get Guardian on GoogleIt is a national disgrace that in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital and seat of political power, public primary school children have been out of school for over three months due to an unresolved teachers’ strike.
Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has decried the situation, calling it a damning reflection of the country’s misplaced priorities. “We thought, ‘This is Abuja; surely it will be resolved in a day or two.’ Yet here we are, three months later, and our children remain at home—while leaders focus on renovating buildings instead of building lives,” Obi said.
According to him, education is the most vital, yet most neglected, component of national development. “Nations that invest in their people—especially their children—build prosperity. However, nations that abandon education tend to dig deeper into poverty, insecurity, and stagnation,” he said.
Nigeria, he noted, is a signatory to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), both of which place education at the core of human progress. The Universal Basic Education Act further guarantees every Nigerian child access to basic education.
“What does it say about our national values when the capital of Africa’s most populous nation cannot keep children in school?” Obi asked. “It’s not just a policy failure—it is a moral failure.”
He urged the government to prioritise human capital over vanity projects and to resolve the FCT education crisis with urgency and sincerity. “True development is not about structures; it is about people. We cannot build a New Nigeria while the next generation is left behind,” he concluded.
