The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has observed that the problem of education in Nigeria, especially in the northern region is that of supply and not demand.
The former Central Bank of Nigeria governor stated this at the 6th convocation ceremony of Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, where he was conferred with an Honorary Degree of Science alongside the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III.
The emir said Nigeria has fallen into the trap of blaming the victims, saying “we complain about parents not sending their children to school and fathers not allowing their girls to go to school because of cultural considerations.”
He said the complaints were nothing but taking the easy way out and running away from responsibilities.
“Where are the schools, where are the teachers and where is the funding. You go round to the villages in the North and the schools are not just there, in fact most of the children go through primary and complete primary education and less than 20 per cent can read and write,” he said.
While noting that it is easy to blame the poor for not educating themselves, he said it is dishonest.
“We need to take responsibilities for not supplying education. People want to see their children educated, they have never refused to educate them but we have to make the schools, teachers available and provide the funding that allow poor people to afford that education,” he said.
He noted that countries like Turkey, China, Taiwan and Singapore spent years providing significant funding for education.
“We are spending too much money on roads, train and rail and too little money on education. Educate our children and they will build the roads, trains and rails; we do not need to invite the Chinese to build for us,” he said.
Earlier, Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Huseyin Sert, said 21 students were awarded First Class degree out of the 365 graduands.
