Recognise Teachers for National Awards, Not Criminals, Obi Tells FG

Emameh Gabriel in Abuja 

The presidential candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi has asked the federal government to recognise teachers rather than conferring national honours on criminals who stole public funds.

Obi made the remarks during the 2023 graduation of students of Pacesetters schools, Abuja,

Specifically, he called on the federal government to recognise a teacher of St. Michael RCM Primary School, Ogunpa Lunloye, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Akeem Badru, who was recently named the overall winner of 2023 Cambridge Dedicated Teachers’ Award for Central and Southern Africa.

Obi said the teacher should be given a national honour for his contribution to the education sector.

He said: “We are busy giving national awards to those who have stolen the country dry. We are busy giving national awards to those who should not be part of us and we are not celebrating teachers who win awards. 

“I want to see a national honour given to the teacher from Ogun state. We have to change. It is time to do the right thing.”

Obi, former Anambra state governor said the rising security challenge confronting the federation was fuelled by growing poverty. 

He noted that the more Nigerians are pulled out of poverty the more the level of criminality would reduce in the country. 

He, however, advised that this could only be achieved by investing more in education.

He said: “For me, education is the most important thing any nation needs. What differentiates development and underdevelopment is education; it is the foundation.

“Even when you go out and people tell you about measures of development being hinged on the human development index and they tell you it is health, education and per capita income. 

“The problem of insecurity in Nigeria is hinged on poverty. The more you pull people out of poverty the more you reduce criminality and you can’t do that unless you invest in education.

“The more people are educated the more they are able to pull themselves out of poverty. You can’t have 20 million out-of-school children and think of development tomorrow. We must have to invest in education.

“If you follow the 2022 world population of countries, the population of Norway, the population of Ireland, Singapore and Dubai together. If you put the population of these big successful countries together, their population is 19.7 million and we have 20 million out-of-school children. 

“We have population of more than these four successful, thriving, respectable developed countries put together out – of – school. So imagine what it will be if we invest in education. So investment in education is critical.

“We will invest in public schools and we will also invest in private schools. So, for me, if I have the opportunity, education will have the highest amount in our budget and our teachers will be celebrated because the most critical components of education are the teachers.

“They are the ones that our children will take after, they are the ones that talk about discipline but today, and we are not celebrating them,” Obi explained.

Chairman, Pacesetters Schools, Abuja, Kenneth Imansuangbon charged the graduands to go and make a mark in the world. 

Imansuangbon, a front line aspirant for the Edo governorship election next year said: “We have trained them well. They should go out and represent the country as ambassadors; they are the future of Nigeria. 

“Nigeria needs change and I believe the training they have received puts them in a better position to represent this country because they are the future of Nigeria.”

Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Muhammad Sunusi lamented the state of education in the country. 

The monarch, who recounted his days as a student of one of the unity schools in the country, urged the government to restore the standard of public schools in the country. 

He said: “It is quite unfortunate that we have to send our children to private schools in Nigeria. I was a product of Federal Government College, Kano. But we have to ask ourselves why the standard of education in Nigeria is degrading. We have to ask ourselves that. Something has to be done.”

The monarch charged the chairman of Pacesetters schools, Abuja to reset the standard of public schools in Edo State when he wins next year’s governorship election.