Why There Is Boko Haram In The North – Amaechi

Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Chibueke Amaechi has identified education inequality in the north as the reason why insurgency prevailed and gets rooted in the region. Speaking at the 2nd Progressive Governors Lecture Series with the theme ”Crisis in the education sectors” held at Africa Hall, Government House, Kano, yesterday, Governor Amaechi who was the guest speaker at the forum, warned that uneducated youth are time-bomb. The governor who presented a shocking percentage of students passing WAEC in 2013 in the north with Sokoto having 7.6 per cent, Zamfara 5.2, Katsina 7.2, Kano 17.2, Jigawa 11, Borno 16.6, Gombe 4, Bauchi 7, Adamawa 5.3, Taraba 9.6 and Kwara 17.4, warned that the statistics portend a great danger in the north and the country in general. According to him the country has 70,000 schools, with 1.2 million classrooms, saying the country needed N22 billion annually for the procurement of 200,000 books to each school, arguing that the country unfortunately spent less than 12.2 per cent of education budget on capital expenditure. Rotimi challenged the policy of almajiri schools system as it will have negative impact on the psychology of the child if he lives to be called beggar. Rivers State governor said in 2013, N60 billion was budgeted for education but only 14 percent was spent on capital projects. “This is the reason why there is Boko Haram”, Amaechi said. He noted that instead of addressing the problem of falling standard of education, the country established NECO to create more problems and if it fails tomorrow there is going to be State Examination Council, SECO. Amaechi also presented another shocking statistics which portrayed the north as having the largest percentage of youth inactivity, with the North West leading. He also gave another scary statistics of enrollment into Polytechnics and Mono technics in the north where 232,400 students were enrolled but only 51,000 were able to complete. Governor Amaechi decried the level of corruption in the country which is killing the system and wouldn’t allow the nation and the economy to grow and prosper. In his remarks, former military head of State, Muhammadu Buhari said that there is no condition more pressing in this country now than unemployment and insecurity. He shared the policy of his administration in 1983 in addressing education problem where experts designed a clear cut education policy which stated that education was the right of all citizens in Nigeria. Buhari emphasized that Nigeria need quality education for development and without education the country has limited opportunity for employment. The former head state reminded the gathering of the commitments of late Sir Ahmadu Bello Sardauna, Obafemi Awolowo for dedicating 40 percent of their budget to education. He reminded in emotional laden the stampede of the Nigeria’s youth at stadium seeking for employment. Meanwhile, the former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has said that neither peace nor security will be achieved without good education for the citizenry. Also, other speakers at the forum which included Imo state Governor, Rochas Okorocha, Edo state Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Ogbonnaya Onu, Senator Bukola Saraki and Jibo Ibrahim have unanimously agreed in their remarks there is need for the new direction of this country and especially in education sector.