UNESCO, in its latest report, claimed that 264 million children worldwide are not in school. Even though the figure looks exaggerated, the fact is that indirectly, without mentioning names, this is a direct shade on Nigeria that we must not waste time to pick.

Though the shade is not for us alone, we are a major recipient. Earlier this year, UNICEF stated that Nigeria has 50% of the cumulative 20 million out of school children in the world, These percentage represents 10.5 million of the 20 million out-of-school children in the world with the majority of these children found in the Northern part of Nigeria as Almajiri’s.

The latest report by UNESCO is another panic alert we need to deal with as a Nation. The United Nations Member Nation of which Nigeria is one agreed on a 26% commitment of annual budgetary spending to education to close the out-of-school gap, but Nigeria, at the moment, is committing a paltry 6% annual budgetary spending which is not fully implemented to Education.

The latest report by UNESCO is one that should be taken with all sense of seriousness by Nigeria. Our developmental plans will always be hampered and stunted if we don’t develop the educational sector.

Editor