Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, said on Wednesday that access to education for Nigerians has improved significantly in the last 65 years.
In his broadcast message to Nigerians on the country’s 65th independence anniversary, Mr Tinubu said Nigerians have better access to education and healthcare now than in 1960.
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“At Independence, Nigeria had 120 secondary schools with a student population of about 130,000,” he said.
The Nigerian leader noted that more than 23,000 secondary schools are currently in the country.
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Mr Tinubu explained that Nigeria had only two tertiary institutions at independence – the University of Ibadan and Yaba College of Technology. Now, Nigeria boasts over 274 universities, 183 polytechnics and 236 colleges of education.
“We have experienced a significant surge in growth across every sector of our national life since Independence – in healthcare, infrastructure, financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications, information technology, aviation and defence, among others,” he said.
Struggling education sector
Meanwhile, a funding crunch has plagued the tertiary institutions, with multiple threats of industrial actions by university and polytechnic workers demanding better pay, funding for the sector, and fulfilment of previous agreements.
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Just two days ago, the largest academic union in the universities, ASUU, issued a two-week ultimatum for the government to address its demands, chief of which is the renegotiation of a 16-year-old agreement, first due for renegotiation in 2012.
At the basic education level, Nigeria still has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children in the world, with the actual figure unknown to authorities. Estimated figures have ranged from 13 million to 20 million.
Rising insecurity in parts of the country and underfunding of basic education have also worsened the situation.
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However, Mr Tinubu said Nigeria has experienced both the good and the bad times in its 65 years of nationhood, but noted the country has lived through it all, including a civil war, military dictatorships, and major political crises.
“In all these, we weathered every storm and overcame every challenge with courage, grit, and uncommon determination,” he said.
“While our system and ties that bind us are sometimes stretched by insidious forces opposed to our values and ways of life, we continue to strive to build a more perfect union where every Nigerian can find better accommodation and find purpose and fulfilment.”
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