By Ubong Usoro
Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, has over 200 million people, with Lagos alone boasting a population of over 17.2 million. Fifty percent of Nigeria’s population is under 19, with children under five making up 8.3 percent of boys and 8 percent of girls as of 2021. We are blessed with many beautiful and gifted school-age children. Sadly, many of these children are roaming the streets, either as street hawkers, beggars, or causing a nuisance.
On our streets, during school hours, you will find school-age children playing, selling, and going about their business with no regard for education. Even though Nigeria has free education for primary school pupils, many of our children are not in school. They can’t read, write, or even communicate in simple English.
UNICEF reports that one in every five of the world’s out-of-school children is in Nigeria. Even though primary education is officially free and compulsory, about 10.5 million of Nigeria’s children aged 5-14 years are not in school. Recently, the World Bank stated that Nigeria now has over 20 million children who should be in school but are not. For a population of about 230 million, this means 10 percent of our population—children who should be in school—are not receiving an education.
This situation raises critical questions. Knowing the importance of education, why are so many children out of school?
The problem is multifaceted. The Boko Haram crisis in Nigeria has displaced many children from their homes, and the rising cost of living has forced families to enlist children to contribute to their upkeep by hawking and street selling.
Insecurity, especially the kidnapping of schoolchildren by bandits, has led to a significant decline in school attendance. Dangerous ideologies that preach education as a sin, combined with a lack of political will to effectively fund and support education, have compounded the problem. Some children also drop out of school because they are exploited as sexual objects at a young age.
In regions where insurgency and insecurity are prevalent, many schools have been forced to close, leaving children with no access to education.
The children we refuse to educate today will become the reasons we may not sleep tomorrow. The consequences of neglecting to adequately train and prepare many of our children today will be felt heavily in the future. These children will grow up with little hope and security for their future. They can easily be drawn into drug abuse, street trading, scavenging, and petty crime. Worse still, as former President Olusegun Obasanjo mentioned over the weekend, they will become prime targets for recruitment by extremist groups and criminal organizations, perpetuating a cycle of violence and instability that continues to plague the nation.
The government, NGOs, and policymakers must rise to the occasion. Everyone needs to be involved in this effort. Religious leaders should encourage their members to seek education, and philanthropists can assist by building and funding schools, especially in northern Nigeria. Vocational training and apprenticeship programs should be expanded in our schools to provide alternative pathways for those who have already been left behind by the formal education system.
