By Ayo Ayodele
Former presidential candidate and Labour Party leader, Peter Obi, has strongly criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recent decision to award scholarships to students in Saint Lucia while public schools in Nigeria, including those in the Federal Capital Territory, remain closed.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Obi described the move as “negligence at its peak” and a “betrayal against the Nigerian child,” citing the deteriorating state of education in the country.
“It is heartbreaking that our President, who is the leader of a country with the highest number of out-of-school children in the world and with students in the capital of his own nation Abuja presently not attending schools, would travel to St. Lucia and offer scholarships to children there, while his own country’s education system is in ruins,” Obi stated.
According to UNICEF, Nigeria has approximately 20 million out-of-school children — the highest figure globally — and a national literacy rate below 60%, far lower than the global average of 87%. Life expectancy in the country stands at just 54 years, compared to the global average of over 70.
Obi pointed out the stark contrast with Saint Lucia, where the literacy rate exceeds 90%, life expectancy is above 72 years, and the country ranks higher on the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI).
“Mr. President, by offering St. Lucia students a scholarship, shows he knows how important education is, while depriving Nigerian students of the same access to education,” Obi argued.
He called on Nigerians to reject what he described as the “continued normalization of misplaced priorities” and urged the government to focus on building a better future for Nigerian children.
“A new Nigeria is possible,” he concluded.