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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned that Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis could serve as a breeding ground for future Boko Haram insurgents if not addressed. Speaking in Bauchi on Sunday while inaugurating several road projects, Obasanjo stressed the urgent need for educational reform, highlighting that over 20 million children are currently out of school, a statistic he cited from World Bank data.
Obasanjo emphasized that neglecting this issue creates a potential recruitment pool for extremist groups in the future. “For a population of about 220 to 230 million, that is 10 per cent of our population that should be in school but are not,” he said. He further warned that these children, deprived of education, are vulnerable to being drawn into violent activities in the coming years, such as banditry or insurgency.
He urged leaders to come together and find a sustainable solution to this problem, highlighting the link between education, human capacity building, and societal safety.
Obasanjo praised Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi for his development initiatives, particularly in road infrastructure, which he said would promote economic growth and enhance the state’s transportation network.
During the visit, Obasanjo also launched the distribution of 10,000 hearing aids to disadvantaged people from the Northeast, facilitated by the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation in partnership with the Starkey Hearing Foundation.
