Peter Obi blames poor education funding for WAEC performance decline

By Sodiq Adelakun

Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, has criticised the Nigerian government’s insufficient funding of education as a key factor behind the recent drop in student performance in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) reported a 7.69 percent decline in the 2024 results, reflecting a broader issue in the country’s education sector.

In a statement issued on August 19, 2024, Obi emphasised the troubling trends in educational investment. “The recent announcement by WAEC about the 7.69 percent decrease in performance highlights the critical underfunding of key development areas, including education,” Obi said.

He pointed out that despite Nigeria’s claimed literacy rate of over 50 percent, the country is ranked 187th globally in literacy, indicating severe inadequacies in educational commitment.

Obi criticised the allocation of N330.3 billion for the entire education sector, including the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), as inadequate for a country with over 100,000 schools.

He emphasised that the ongoing decline in educational standards and other essential sectors demands immediate and substantial intervention.