Education in Nigeria: Buhari says Nigerians aware of value

President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigerian parents are dedicated to sending their children to school because they understand the importance of educational qualification.

The 78-year-old has had his own educational qualifications called into question over the past decade, and repeatedly asked Nigerian graduates to start farming if they cannot find jobs.

But when he addressed world leaders at the Global Education Summit in London on Thursday, July 29, 2021, he said his government knows education is the starting point for success.

"You can't succeed outside your educational qualification. Anybody who missed education has missed everything.

"Nigerians are acutely aware of the priority of education, and parents are making sacrifices to ensure that their children and wards get educated," he said.

L-R: Nigeria's High Commissioner to United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Ishola; Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba; President Muhammadu Buhari; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; and National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno at the Global Education Summit in London [Presidency] Pulse Nigeria

President Buhari, a day earlier, pledged that Nigeria will increase its budgetary allocation for education as a sign of commitment to its citizens.

He said Nigeria will progressively increase annual domestic education expenditure by 50% over the next two years, with his final term in office set to end in 2023.

The president also committed Nigeria to increasing the annual expenditure by up to 100% by 2025, beyond the 20% global benchmark.

Since he was elected president in 2015, the Buhari administration has allocated less than 10% of its annual budgets to education, well below the benchmark recommended by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

He has also failed to tackle age-long issues facing the education sector, including significant reduction of Nigeria's population of out-of-school children, the highest in the world.

Insecurity has further complicated that problem, with more than 1,500 students abducted from schools by terrorists since 2018, a trend that escalated since last December.

The abductions have led to closure of numerous schools in affected states, especially in the northern region of the country.

Buhari said at the London summit, co-hosted by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, that nations of the world must build a more secure and prosperous future for children.