By Seyi Babalola
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned that Nigeria is at risk of having more drug addicts, terrorists, robbers, and other social misfits.
Obasanjo expressed concern that the country has over 20 million out-of-school children and highlighted that if the youngsters are not educated, empowered, or given the essential skills, they will become social miscreants.
The former president, in a statement by his assistant on media, Kehinde Akinyemi on Sunday, observed that to prevent such, a 25-year socioeconomic development program is required to promote education and technology, among other things.
“ A 25-year socio-economic development agenda that will be generally agreed to, by the nation of all political parties and passed into law by the National Assembly with State Assembly aspects also passed into law by the State Houses of Assembly. We take up the implementation on a five-year basis. In reality, that plan will have the effect of almost a constitution. The first priority in the implementation will be education for all.
“ There should be no Nigerian without being in school compulsorily for eleven years – secondary education level.
“ Five years must be set out to ensure that every Nigerian child that is not in school is in school and no one is left out of popular education. Adult education should be embarked upon to give every Nigerian basic education equivalent to six years of formal education.
“ We should give ourselves ten years to rid Nigeria of illiteracy. No matter what we do, if we do not find a way of educating, giving skills, and empowerment, over 20 million Nigerian children that are out of school today will end up being rich recruitment centers for drug addicts, Boko Haram, bandits, and other social misfits.”
He also urged the Federal Government to provide a conducive environment where businesses can thrive.
“ The second should be food and nutrition security through agribusiness. The third should be energy for all. The fourth should be industrialization and manufacturing. And the fifth should be science, technology, innovation, and Artificial Intelligence, AI.
“ In all these, the government should provide a conducive environment for the private sector to operate and thrive. And where the government will be involved at all, other than as policymaker and enabler, it should be based on private-public partnership with government as a junior partner,” the statement added.
