A former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has said over 14 million Nigerian children are currently deprived of education because they are not in school.
Obasanjo disclosed this at the virtual 2020 Fellowship Graduation Ceremony of the second cohort of ‘Teach for Nigeria Fellows’, on Saturday.
The former President said the situation was not good for national development.
He said, “They (children) are deprived of opportunities that will allow them to develop their abilities and become useful to themselves and their communities.
“It is evident that at this point, to transform our education system in a sustainable way, Nigerian youths must take up leadership positions.”
He expressed concerns at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s educational sector.
Noting that Nigeria’s education system was already in crisis before the pandemic, Obasanjo said, “The outbreak has exacerbated the ever-widening gulf between the learning opportunities of our most privileged children and our less privileged children.
“To close the dangerous gap as a nation, we require prompt action from well-meaning Nigerians imbued with courage, patriotism, commitment, foresight and love.”
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