Former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, has expressed strong support for the education reform initiatives led by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, calling it one of the most significant national projects Nigeria has embarked on in recent years.
Chidoka's Remarks on Education Urgency
Following a national stakeholders meeting on the National Education Data Infrastructure held over the weekend, Chidoka emphasized that while physical infrastructure projects can be postponed, failures in education permanently ruin the futures of affected children. He stated: "Roads can wait. Buildings can wait. Airports can wait. Education cannot. The road we fail to build today can still be built tomorrow. The airport that was delayed this year may still serve future generations. But the child pushed out of school by policy failure is often lost forever."
Impact on Out-of-School Children
Chidoka highlighted that every year lost deepens Nigeria's education crisis, particularly for the estimated 15 million out-of-school children. He noted: "Every year, one of Nigeria's roughly 15 million out-of-school children loses a narrow window that may never reopen. When reforms eventually come, they benefit a different cohort, not the child already left behind."
Data-Driven Reforms Praised
Chidoka praised the stakeholders meeting led by Alausa for its depth and clarity in using data to drive policy decisions. He said: "That is why yesterday's stakeholders meeting on the National Education Data Infrastructure, led by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, struck me as profoundly consequential. In many ways, it may become one of the most important national infrastructure projects Nigeria has undertaken in recent years." He also lauded the Nigerian Education Management Information System, designed by Ernst & Young, describing it as "a national treasure."
