Former Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Osita Chidoka, has emphasized the critical need to prioritize education in Nigeria over the construction of infrastructure projects such as roads, airports, and buildings. Speaking on Friday in a post shared on the official X account of the Federal Ministry of Education, Chidoka argued that Nigeria's 15 million out-of-school children face permanent lost opportunities, unlike delayed infrastructure projects.
Infrastructure Can Wait, Education Cannot
“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,” Chidoka stated. He stressed that every year, one of Nigeria’s approximately 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 Infrastructure as a Game Changer
Chidoka highlighted the new National Education Data Infrastructure and Nigeria Education Management Information System, developed with Ernst & Young, as a key tool for evidence-based policy. He revealed that major enrollment drops between primary and junior secondary levels, as well as admission bottlenecks at the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB), challenge policy assumptions.
“That is why yesterday’s National Stakeholders Meeting on the National Education Data Infrastructure, led by the Honourable 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,” Chidoka explained. He noted that data from all states were available on the portal, covering school enrollment, physical infrastructure, and student-teacher ratios. The Nigeria Education Management Information System, designed by Ernst & Young, which developed a similar system in India, is a national treasure: robust yet simple.
Evidence Over Assumptions
Chidoka observed that sitting in that room, he watched evidence do what argument alone often cannot. Two figures stayed with him: the gap between primary school enrollment and junior secondary enrollment, and the composition of JAMB candidates—fresh entrants versus repeat candidates. The drop between Primary Six and JSS One is so wide that a generation appears to thin out between those two rungs. The ratio of repeat candidates revealed an admission bottleneck he is yet to fully grasp. Suddenly, the Minister of Education’s policy direction on easing admission bottlenecks, which Chidoka had instinctively questioned, began to make sense.
“That is the power of credible, real-time data. It does not merely inform policy; it humbles assumptions,” Chidoka said.
Digital Connectivity for Schools
Chidoka expressed gratitude for NgREN’s work in delivering digital connectivity to tertiary institutions in 2026 and secondary schools in 2027, positioning data as a foundation for evidence-based decisions. He questioned when other government sectors will adopt similar approaches. “I am grateful to be contributing my own quota through the Nigeria Research and Education Network (NgREN). We have committed to delivering connectivity and digital services to tertiary institutions this year, and to extending similar infrastructure to secondary schools in 2027,” he said.
A Quiet Transformation
According to Chidoka, what is happening in education may not yet dominate the headlines, but something important is taking shape quietly beneath the surface. Evidence is beginning to replace assertion, and data is starting to shape decisions. “The question on my mind: If evidence can transform education governance, when will the rest of the government follow?” Chidoka pondered.
