Prioritising Youth-Education in the proposed 2017 Nigerian Budget

Every year, Nigerians eagerly awaits reports about the (increasingly controversial) provision of the yearly budget estimate by the President of the National Assembly. The announcement is often followed by outcry over the frequent irregularity and blatant corruption which is noticeable in the overly inflation of costs. The list is often littered with traces of inappropriate or nonsensical expenditures.


In the digital age, the very busy President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his VP, would budget tens of millions of naira for the ‘purchase’ of personal book for leisure. Main while the budgetary allocation for the nation’s educational system is far less than 1% (which is grossly insufficient from the 26% recommended by UNESCO).

Only 0.02% of the 2017 Nigeria Budget is allocated for Education.

In a nation plagued by terrorism whose foundation is due to illiteracy and intolerance, the government still show lackadaisical attitude towards the education of its citizens. Both the tertiary and non-tertiary institutions are grossly underfunded and lacks adequate infrastructures, yet politicians are budgeting billions of naira each year in the purchase of kitchen utensils, vehicles, watering flowers and connecting satellite television to the security posts. This is admits a national economic recession and both private and public education-institution struggling to stay opened.


It seems the Nigerian government is reluctant to investing in the youths. Whenever they complain of unemployment and hardship; it is not uncommon to hear President Muhamadu Buhari suggesting that the youth should ‘go and farm!’ (referring to the primitive subsistent form of farming which involves the use of hand tools). This is an archaic tactics that our forefathers used when they were confronted by the youths of their community many years ago. It is believed that when a young man farms all day, by night, he would be too exhausted to protest or commit crime. Sadly, this government utilises this excuse to avoid its social responsibility.


How is the government planning on fighting the perverted ideology of Boko Haram (which means Western Education is Prohibited), when majority of the primary schools at the affected area didn’t even had enough qualified teachers prior to the rise of the insurgency? This is an insurgency that purposely attacked school with in the infamous BBOG (Chibok school girls abduction) and over 2000 teachers violently murders over the past 8 years. Most of the bloodthirsty terrorist would not pick up arms had it been they were educated.


It is very common these days to see university graduates who struggle to speak or write in English. That is probably why most of the abducted school-girls were themselves not literate. Mandela once said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. With less than 1% of this year budget allocated towards education, it is clear that the present government lacks the will-power to improve the literacy rate in the country and are blind to the fact that education is the only way to defeat Boko Haram.


The youths of Nigeria often take to social media website seeking explanations as to why a president who ran his election campaign based on the motto of ‘integrity’ and ‘change’, and his vice-president who happens to be a religious leader, would both stand aside and publicly present a budget that is filled with frivolous expenditure like rent for the presidential villa.