If oil finishes tomorrow, what will remain? Our people. Our brains.
But today, Nigeria has the largest number of out-of-school children in the world. UNICEF (2024) says 18.3 million children – 10.2 million at primary level, 8.1 million at junior secondary, and recent 2025 briefings put it at up to 20 million. That is 1 in 6 out-of-school children globally – about 15% of the global burden – and 66% of them are in North-West and North-East.
Compare: Ghana has about 1 million, Kenya about 1 million, South Africa 405,000 (2024). We are carrying almost 20 times more.
Even those in school – many sit on the floor, no lab, no computer. A child in Finland codes at age 7. A child in Oyo learns Computer without a computer. Only 1 in 3 Nigerian children can read at age 14. 75% of urban children are in school vs 51% rural.
No country has ever developed without fixing education. Singapore has no oil, no land, but they invested in teachers and schools and now they are rich. South Korea was poorer than Nigeria in 1960; today Samsung and Hyundai are from there, because of education.
What Better Nigeria looks like:
- Free, safe, quality basic education in every LGA, No child walks more than 2km to school. School feeding that actually reaches children. Secure schools in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe where 2 million children are out due to insecurity.
- Teacher first -Pay teachers well, train them every year, give them tools. A motivated teacher changes 1,000 lives. Nigeria is ranked 191 out of 208 countries in education.
- Skills + Science; Every secondary school has a small lab, a computer, and teaches coding, agriculture, and technical skills, not just theory. Early childhood education is critical, brain develops before age 5.
Your action today: Check on one child near you who is not in school. Talk to parents. Donate one book, one uniform, one school bag if you can. And ask your LGA Chairman: How many primary schools in our LGA have computers and labs?
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. The best time to fix education is now.
Many thanks to our readers and followers, One week done! Three more weeks to go. Better Nigeria is not a dream, it’s a decision we all have to make.
