A Professor of French Language and Applied Linguistics, Oluremi Sonaiya, has advised the Federal Government to adequately invest in education and make it a priority for four years.
Sonaiya, a retired lecturer from the Department of Foreign Languages, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, gave the advice in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.
She was reacting to statements made by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration would in the next four years focus on physical structures and human capital development.
Osinbajo had also said that more attention would be on the education sector, with specific focus on the education of the girl child.
“This is coming four years late because it should have been their priority right from the beginning; government has to adequately fund education, if they sufficiently fund education, every child will be in school and the society will be much better.
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“Let us be sincere, Nigeria is not spending enough on education; instead we are giving money to all kinds of projects.
“There is this report that the federal government offered N100 billion to the Miyetti Allah Association of Nigeria, over two years, to stop kidnappings in the country.
“We do not have limitless money to spend, so if you give a N100 billion to Miyetti Allah, how much will you have left to give to the other important projects that we have?’’ the professor queried.
She urged government to match their words with concrete action, stressing that education had to be funded properly.
Sonaiya expressed regret on how photographs of dilapidated public schools were being splashed in the social media space on a daily basis, citing that it only suggests how less important education was to the government.
She hoped that the government’s utterances would be a realisable vision and not mere wishes, urging that concerted efforts should be evolved to ensure that they are accomplished. (NAN)
