Obi Slams Federal Government Over Education Funding and Policy Failure

(Peter Obi. Photo by Sky News)

A presidential candidate identified as Obi has criticised the Federal Government over what he described as neglect of Nigeria's education sector.

In a post on his verified social media handle on Friday, he said the government had effectively admitted to poor management of the sector in reacting to a recent policy shift separating junior and senior secondary schools.

He described such an admission as tragic, arguing that education remains the most critical driver of human capital development and the foundation for any society's growth and economic progress.

The former Anambra State governor said Nigeria cannot overcome its economic stagnation without prioritising education, healthcare and job creation to lift millions of unemployed young people out of poverty.

Adding that, as successful Asian economies have shown, achieving educational excellence requires sustained investment in curriculum development, motivated teachers and improved learning environments.

This follows an earlier announcement by the Federal Government of plans to scrap the policy separating Junior Secondary Schools from Senior Secondary Schools, with officials saying the policy had contributed to a rise in school dropouts.

Reacting to the development, he said the government had finally admitted to mismanaging the education sector, noting that the Minister of Education had recently acknowledged that the JSS/SSS separation policy failed to improve educational outcomes, a failure he said was reflected in recent examination results.

He cited data showing that only 38.32 percent of candidates passed English and Mathematics in the 2024 WASSCE, while just 32 percent passed the computer-based WASSCE in 2025, adding that this pattern of poor performance had persisted across major examinations over the past two years.

He further lamented that the government continues to neglect the sector, pointing out that education received only N3.52 trillion in the 2026 budget, representing just 6.17 percent of total expenditure, a decline from 7.87 percent in 2025 and far below UNESCO's recommended benchmark of 15 to 20 percent.

He argued that this low allocation reflects a failure to recognise education as a driver of sustained economic growth, and said the Minister's admission points to a broader failure of public leadership, stressing that the real issue was not the JSS/SSS policy itself, but a lack of commitment to properly fund, manage and deliver quality education.