 |
|
Nigeria, Below UNESCO Standards for Education Funding
Financing of Education by the government of Nigeria remains below international threshold, Mr. Oseloka H. Obaze, the immediate past secretary to the Anambra State Government has observed. In a keynote Address at the 19th Annual Convention of the Christ the King College Onitsha (CKC) Alumni Association in the Americas, held recently in Oakland, California, Mr. Obaze noted that the financing of education in Nigeria remains well below the 26% of GDP recommended by UNESCO.
He expressed regrets that qualitative education which is the foundation of any nation and civilization has slipped markedly in Nigeria advising that since it is obvious that the government cannot solely underwrite and manage education, it is time to allow the Missions back to run parochial schools as they did during the colonial era, just as the Anambra State government has done.
Obaze also advised Nigerians on the need for commitment to common good over individual gain as a panacea to our current national problems stressing that such a commitment will make our world a better place.
To the CKC alumni he noted that good leadership qualities imbued on the students of CKC has made it possible for the alumni to produce 3 governors with good leadership qualities in the current Nigeria republic.
According to him, “considering the alternative to our legacy of goodness is starkly discomforting, if we contemplate the bad versus good choices we have individually made over time.”
“Our goodness is about our depth of character; and our generosity of spirit and our enduring commitment to giving back”. Also, quoting from Jeffrey Sachs, he exhorted that:
“Morality matters because otherwise we succumb to social dilemmas that foment distrust, corruption, and ultimately violence.”