Governors elevate alarm over deepening training disaster in Nigeria

Governors across Nigeria have voiced grave concerns over the worsening state of education in the country, warning that without urgent interventions, the sector may face further deterioration.

Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, delivered this warning on Thursday during a State-Level Workshop on Foundational Learning and Out-of-School Children held in Abuja.

Governor AbdulRazaq, who was represented by the NGF’s Education Advisor, Leo The Great, said Nigeria is at a crossroads in its education journey, with a pressing need to confront the foundational issues head-on.

“Nigeria is faced with a crisis. We are dealing with some out-of-school children. However, enrollment in school for most children does not translate into actual learning,” he said.

He cited nationwide statistics that point to an alarming 66% out-of-school rate among primary school-age children, attributing the trend to poor learning outcomes, high dropout rates, and weak transition and completion levels.

“Foundational skills are not merely the end goal of an educational system; they are also critical building blocks for achieving other educational objectives, including retention and progression from one level to the next,” he added.

According to AbdulRazaq, the education workforce remains both insufficient and undervalued, a situation compounded by chronic underfunding of the basic education sector and national governance frameworks.

He went on to highlight multiple systemic gaps in the sector, including:

“Lack of characterisation of the issues of conditional training, absence of appropriate learning materials and independent training and literacy, lack of familiarity with recent research in the operations of conditional training and digital literacy skills.

Also, weak local capacity and monitoring and evaluation of conditional training disruptions and outcomes, insufficiency of available points, low level of awareness and support from families and communities for conditional training skills, and lack of commitment among state and non-state actors in addressing these challenges are key factors in developing the education sector and in feeding on basic proficiency in numeracy and literacy in Nigeria.”

He emphasized that the NGF hopes the workshop will catalyze stronger commitment among policymakers at both federal and state levels.

“The Nigerian Governors Forum expects this workshop to strengthen motivation for federal and state policymakers in driving and sustaining evidence-based reforms to improve implementation of foundational learning and reduce the out-of-school children challenges across the states of the federation,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba, acknowledged that Nigeria’s education system continues to grapple with deep-rooted issues despite various interventions.

Garba, represented by UBEC Deputy Secretary (Technical), Rasaq Akinyemi, said there is an urgent need to consolidate on past achievements and deliver inclusive education to all children.

She stated that every Nigerian child, regardless of location or background, deserves access to quality education.

“Despite ongoing political and systemic barriers, Nigeria’s education system still battles deep-rooted challenges,” she said.

In a related development earlier in the year, the Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, while defending the 2025 education budget before the National Assembly, said the federal government was working closely with state governors to confront the staggering number of out-of-school children.

“The number of out-of-school children is mind-boggling and disturbing,” Alausa said.