Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo warns that the estimated 20 million out-of-school children in Nigeria are vulnerable to recruitment by Boko Haram, emphasizing the urgent need for educational reforms and support.
Olusegun Obasanjo, the former President of Nigeria, has expressed concerns that the increasing number of children not attending school in the country could become a significant security threat to the nation going forward.
He claimed that the more than 20 million children not attending school in Nigeria are essentially being groomed for future recruitment into Boko Haram and banditry within the next decade to fifteen years.
The former president made this statement on Sunday in Bauchi during the inauguration ceremony for several projects completed by Governor Bala Mohammed.
Let me stress our goal: to focus on human capacity building and education, as these are crucial. According to the World Bank, we have over 20 million children who should be in school but aren’t, out of a population of approximately 230 million.
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Obasanjo stated, “Therefore, 10 percent of our population who should be attending school are not currently enrolled. Governor, esteemed royal highnesses, brothers and sisters—this represents potential recruitment for future Boko Haram members; we don’t need anyone to point that out.”
According to the World Bank, there are more than 20 million children who are not attending school, accounting for 10% of our population. This situation could potentially lead to future recruitment by groups such as Boko Haram or similar forms of banditry.
He stated that failing to equip children with the tools to develop their natural abilities and potential leaves them vulnerable to exploitation by Boko Haram and bandits.
“Not only are we failing to equip 10 percent of our population with the skills needed to harness their innate abilities for personal and community growth, but we are also inadvertently setting them up to potentially join future iterations of groups like Boko Haram or engage in other forms of banditry within the next 10 to 15 years.”
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