Obi Diagnoses Nigeria’s poor spending on Education at Dominican University, Colonnade, Lagos

www.odogwublog.com reports that the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi has again lamented Nigeria’a poor attitude towards education, saying that even when compared to some African Countries, that Nigeria has not done well at all. 

 

Obi made this observations at the weekend during the launching and funds raising dinner for Dominican University, a newly established university owned by the Dominicans, at the  Colonnade, Lagos.

Describing money put into education as investment, Obi said that the problem with Nigerians is that they still see education as expenditure rather than investment  in the future. Obi said it had become clear, flowing from what countries that invested in education are reaping now, that there was direct correlation between investment on education and economic growth.

Reeling of statistics to buttress his point, Obi said: South Africa, between  2010 and 2016 spent over 5% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on education: Egypt over 3.5%  and Nigeria could not  even spend 1%.”

Insisting that poor investment on education produces adult illustrates and makes for low productivity in any nation, Mr. Obi said that “from 2010 to 2014 Nigerian budgeted 1.860 Trillion Naira on education, which at the rate of N160 to a dollar was 11.1 billion dollars. 

 

In 2015 and 2016, the budget was a total 761 billion Naira, which at the rate of N360 to a dollar was 2.1 billion Dollars. As you can see, it means that over a period of 7 years, Nigeria with a population of about  190 Million people  spent 13.2b dollars on Education. Juxtapose this with South Africa, the second biggest economy in Africa which, with a population of  55m spent over 15 billion dollars on education  in 2015 only and Egypt, the  3rd biggest economy in Africa and  with a population  of 95m spent about 12 billion in 2015 only. This shows that Nigeria is still sleeping as far as investment in education is concerned.”

Agreeing with Obi, Anthony Cardinal Okojie said he had listened to Obi on several occasions and called on Nigerians to listen to him as he correctly understood the problems and solutions to many ills in the country. .

Earlier, the National Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abubakar  Mohmoud, in his key note address lamented the collapse of education in Nigeria and said that the situation called for all hands to be on deck.

Also present at the event were Archbishop Alaba Job(Retd), Bishop Adewale Martins, Dr. ABC Orjiakor, Evelyn Opute, among others

Caption for the pic

L-R Rev. Fr. Richard Ogedengbe, the Prior Provincial of Dominicans;  Bishop Adewale Martins of Lagos Diocese; Anthony Cardinal Okojie;  Fmr Gov. Peter Obi; Archbishop Alaba Job(Retd), and  Dr. ABC Orjiako during the launching and funds raising dinner  at Lagos for Dominican University .