Obi Urges Education Reform, Warns of Human Development Decline Linked to Funding Gaps

Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called for sweeping reforms in Nigeria’s education sector, warning that the country’s weak investment in human capital is undermining national development and global competitiveness.

Obi made the remarks while delivering a lecture at Coal City University titled “Repositioning Nigeria’s Education Sector Through Private Partnership for National Growth and Global Competitiveness.”

He said no nation could rise above the quality of its education system, stressing that Nigeria’s development prospects depend more on the strength of its classrooms, laboratories and research institutions than on natural resources or political promises.

The former governor criticised what he described as chronic underfunding of education, alongside weak infrastructure, outdated curricula and poor alignment between academic training and labour market needs.

Citing international benchmarks, Obi noted that Nigeria spends less than 7% of its national budget on education—below the UNESCO recommendation of 15–20%. He argued that the shortfall has contributed to rising youth unemployment and a growing mismatch between graduate skills and industry demands.

He also questioned the current structure of government intervention in tertiary education, particularly the focus of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), arguing that support should be extended to private institutions.

“Do students in private universities come from another planet?” he asked, insisting that a more inclusive funding model would strengthen the entire education system.

Obi linked Nigeria’s education challenges to wider human development concerns, referencing the country’s ranking of 161 out of 193 on the United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index, with a score of 0.548.

He said the figures reflect deeper structural weaknesses in education, healthcare and living standards, noting that Nigeria’s life expectancy remains significantly below global averages.

Comparing Nigeria with other countries, Obi pointed to higher-performing economies such as Indonesia, Egypt and South Africa, which he said have achieved stronger human development outcomes through sustained investment in education and health.

He also highlighted disparities in education spending, noting that South Africa allocates significantly more resources to education despite having a much smaller population, a gap he described as “funding starvation” in Nigeria’s case.

According to him, the consequences include low productivity, persistent unemployment and the continued migration of skilled professionals abroad.

Obi said Nigeria’s literacy rate, estimated between 59% and 69%, remains insufficient for a knowledge-driven economy, stressing that weak education systems often translate into broader social and economic challenges.

He argued that government alone cannot finance the sector’s transformation, calling for stronger public-private partnerships to drive infrastructure development, research funding, curriculum reform and skills training.

He urged the private sector to view investment in education as a long-term national necessity, not charity, while calling for greater emphasis on innovation, entrepreneurship and industry-linked training.

Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Adam Icha Ituma, and Chairman of the event, Prof. Chinedu Nebe, described the lecture as timely, urging stakeholders to translate the recommendations into policy action.

Obi concluded that Nigeria’s central challenge is not a lack of talent but weak alignment between policy, investment and institutional partnerships, adding that addressing these gaps is essential for sustainable development.