Former Presidential candidate, Peter Obi
Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called on Nigerian leaders to prioritise education as a critical driver of national growth, warning that continued neglect could push the country further behind its global peers.
Obi made the remarks on Tuesday while delivering a lecture at Coal City University in Enugu, titled “Repositioning Nigeria’s education sector for national growth and global competitiveness.”
Reflecting on the event, he also commended the institution’s leadership for fostering intellectual engagement.
“Yesterday, at Coal City University Enugu I delivered a lecture on ‘Repositioning Nigeria’s education sector for national growth and global competitiveness’. I also seized the opportunity to commend the Vice-Chancellor and the entire management of the University for their commitment to academic excellence and for providing a platform for meaningful national discourse,” he said.
Obi stressed that no country can outgrow the strength of its education system, linking Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges to years of inadequate investment in human capital.
“No nation rises above the quality of its education system,” he stated, pointing to Nigeria’s Human Development Index (HDI) score of 0.548 as evidence of deeper structural issues.
He noted that rising unemployment and weak social indicators are clear signs of systemic neglect.
Citing key development indicators, Obi painted a stark picture of the country’s current realities.
“The data is equally revealing. Nigeria allocates less than 10% of its budget to education, far below the 15–20% global benchmark. Youth unemployment and underemployment exceed 30%, while life expectancy remains among the lowest 50–55 years. Literacy levels hover below average 59% and 65%, all of which point to deep structural weaknesses in our development trajectory,” he said.
Drawing comparisons with countries such as Indonesia, Egypt, and South Africa, Obi argued that Nigeria’s struggles are not due to lack of potential but poor prioritisation.
“In contrast, comparable countries such as Indonesia and Egypt, and South Africa have high HDI levels with HDI scores of 0.72–0.75. They all have higher life expectancy of above 65 years, higher literacy levels and higher per capita incomes of $3,500 above, while Nigeria is about $1000. This stronger progress was through sustained and deliberate investment in education, healthcare, and broader human capital development. The difference is not in talent, but in priority and policy consistency,” he explained.
Obi called for a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s education funding model, urging the government to embrace reforms that encourage collaboration across sectors.
“We must move beyond rhetoric and confront these realities with urgency. I therefore called for a total review of Nigeria’s education funding model, stronger public-private partnerships, and more inclusive policies that recognise the role of both public and private institutions in educating Nigerian students,” he said.
He further criticised the exclusion of private universities from key intervention schemes.
“It is difficult to justify excluding private universities from intervention frameworks like TETFund when they are actively contributing to national capacity building,” he added.
