FG: Lack of Proper Education Root Cause of Crises in Nigeria

Udora Orizu in Abuja

The federal government has blamed the crises in Nigeria on ignorance and lack of proper education, saying the problem can only be addressed through the provision of proper education.

It has also tasked universities to begin to develop curricula on self-education, saying a shift in focus and orientation of students was very necessary at the moment.

President Muhammadu Buhari disclosed this yesterday at the 11th convocation ceremony of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) held in Abuja.

Represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary, the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr David Gende, the president said his administration was committed to making education affordable to all, through Open and Distance Learning (ODL).

 He said his “administration has done and will continue to do several things to support the operations of the university by placing priority in the provision of critical human and material infrastructure through annual budgetary allocations and interventions from Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).

“It is common knowledge that the root cause of most of the recorded crises of nationhood we experience in Nigeria is as a result of ignorance which can only be through the provision of education.

“The university, as the only single-mode, ODL institution in Nigeria, was established by the Federal Government of Nigeria to bring equitable access to all eligible Nigerians who are being constrained by the limited space in the Conventional Universities.

“I am extremely happy to note that the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is indeed delivering on its mandate by taking affordable university education to the doorsteps of Nigerians irrespective of their location, tribe, sex, and religion,” the president said.

Açcording to him, “education as we all know, supports all efforts and developments in terms of social, economic, political and religious undertakings.

“It is common knowledge that the root cause of most of the recorded crises of nationhood we experience in Nigeria is as a result of ignorance which can only be through the provision of education.

“This is why this Administration is committed to making education affordable to all, through the ODL. In this connection, the National Policy on Education (NPE) had provided for Lifelong Learning that transcends all barriers through ODL.

“This administration has done and will continue to do several things to support the operations of the university by placing priority in the provision of critical human and material infrastructure through annual budgetary allocations and interventions from Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND),” he added.

The president said: “It is gratifying to note that the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) continues to record more successes at the national level by expanding access to higher education as well as making it affordable through the establishment of more Study Centres across the country.”

“In this regard, the National Open University of Nigeria has created a niche for itself in both national and global spaces,” he further said.

The president, while noting that, “it is pertinent to restate that the nation’s educational curriculum be geared towards placing emphasis on entrepreneurship education”, said there must be a paradigm shift in the focus and orientation of our graduates towards employment opportunities.”

“The realisation of this objective lies with our universities to develop new curricula that will emphasize self-employment,” he insisted.

But the president said: “It is pleasing to note that the National Universities Commission (NUC) is about to conclude the comprehensive review of the curricula of all programmes in our universities and placing a premium on entrepreneurship.”

“This as we all know is a driver to increase productivity and reduction in unemployment figures among our youths.
“The federal government through various interventions has created an enabling environment in support of this drive. We hope that our graduates will utilise these opportunities by embracing all the various programmes that have been put in place,” he said.