Corruption Weakens Nigeria’s Education Sector.

Obtainable in other sectors in the country, that Nigeria’s education sector has continued to suffer from unending scourge of severe corruption and incompetence over the years  is not a difficult thing to notice; funds meant for educational projects are been mismanaged without control, corrupt politicians are elected on university boards who politicize the system, learning environment remains unconducive, academics struggle to get there entitlements among other pressing issues confronting Nigeria’s educational sector even in our fourteenth year of democratic rule.

In every human society in the world over, education is concomitant to growth and research is highly rated as the bedrock of progress; for quick, effective and sustainable growth, thorough investment in education is inevitable. Mamoth investment in education by founding fathers of this nation such as the great Obafemi Awolowo gave sound education to many of the leaders, business tycoons and investors we can call ours-the vision of the founding fathers was to liberate the people from poverty using the strongest weapon which is education, but unfortunately, the federal government led by the People’s Democratic Party has turned this dream into a nightmare with severe corruption which has thoroughly weakened the education sector and its goals which would have been highly instrumental and even necessary to improve the production capacity of Nigeria and reduce poverty.

Since the dawn of democratic rule in 1999, preceeded by many years of military rule, trillions of naira have been invested into the education system by the federal government yet regression is the result that follows. Assessing recent records, during a press conference in 2012, while discussing Nigerian government’s response to national request for reform in the education sector, Minister of Education, professor Ruqayyatu  Rufa’i  made known that “the government in 2012 awarded a significant N900billion naira for tertiary institutions and 24 billion for special intervention projects to tweleve tertiary institutions.”  Of course, It’s so ridiculous that such an amount was awarded to tertiary institutions in 2012 yet no noticeable change, atleast one.

In the bid to remain strengthened in mismanagement of public funds at the expense of the masses, Nigerian institutions which have critical roles to play in renewing and reengineering the nation have suffered huge setback- students and academic staff welfarism is far below standard. This is however disgraceful and shameful that the federal government has extended its hand of mismanagement and incompetence to education sector, a move that could condemn the future of this nation. There is a pressing need for us to rise against this rapidly falling standard to save Nigeria’s future. The federal government and its education ministry have to be renewed to champion a positive and sustainable vision to transform this nation, our education sector is too fragile to be committed into the hands of looters, unqualified and corrupt persons; thorough restructuring of our priorities as a nation must be considered, progressive rethink of  public education also even as we battle to revive the education sector from the hands of this failing administration.