Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has expressed deep concern over the prolonged strike by public primary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which has kept pupils out of school for more than three months.
Speaking in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Obi underscored the vital role of education in national development, calling it the most essential and immeasurable element of human progress.
“It’s a proven fact that the more educated a nation is, the more developed it becomes. Therefore, the most critical investment any nation must make is in educating its citizens especially children to safeguard the future,” he said.
Obi pointed out that Nigeria is not only a signatory to global development frameworks like the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), both of which emphasize education, but also has domestic policies such as the Universal Basic Education Act, aimed at ensuring every child receives quality foundational education.
Despite these commitments, Obi lamented that public primary school pupils in Abuja remain out of school due to an unresolved teachers’ strike.
“When the strike began, many assumed it would last a day or two after all, this is Abuja. Yet, three months have passed, and our children are still at home while government efforts are focused on renovating physical infrastructure,” he noted.
According to Obi, prioritizing infrastructure over education reflects misplaced national priorities.
“The true foundation of development is an educated populace, not just roads and buildings. Real progress is measured by how well we equip the next generation intellectually and morally,” he emphasized.
He warned that neglecting children’s education only fuels deeper societal issues such as poverty, insecurity, and underdevelopment. Obi concluded with a call for urgent investment in human capital.
“We must focus on improving basic education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation. That’s how nations grow. That’s how we can build the New Nigeria we all aspire to,” he said.
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