Emphasize Education than physical infrastructure - Peter Obi advises Govt

Frontline Presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Mr. Peter Obi has traced one of the problems of underdevelopment to the policy of paying greater attention to physical infrastructure while neglecting human capital development.

Obi said that for uniformity of development to take place, emphasis must be placed on impactful education which he said accelerates other forms of development.

Obi said that it's education that prepares one for leadership, describing its as the most important aspect of development and critical investment.

Obi made the remarks, on Tuesday, as a keynote speaker at the Fourth Public Lecture of the Coal City University, CCU, Enugu, with the theme, 'Repositioning Nigeria's Education Sector: Private Sector Partnership for National Growth and Global Competitiveness.'

Obi said, "You can't continue building physical infrastructure without the human infrastructure," citing growths in China that invested in technology and India that commands the Information Communication Technology, ICT.

He stressed that Human Development Index, HDI, is the basis for measuring developments such as in health where life expectancy is most measured, the percentage of literacy rate in Education and per capital income for poverty rate, but that education is the most driving indices.

"We have not invested in education, giving the HDI measurements with countries such as Indonesia, South Africa and Egypt. Nigeria cannot measure up because of its lack of investment in education. Nigeria's life expectancy is 54 years, the lowest in the world because we have not invested in healthcare," Obi said.

He stated that Nigeria has about 120 million out of school children, higher than countries with larger population.

He further said that productivity is low in Nigeria because the country has refused to train it's people, and urged that private schools should be encouraged by the government through funding and other forms of support, just like their public school counterparts.

"Education is the highest contribution to National development and Nigeria is not investing much in that critical area of development," Obi noted.

Chairman of the Lecture and former Minister for Power, Prof Chinedu Nebo, refuted the Gen z slang that 'education is a scam,' attributing the notion to "policy summersault" that make graduates unemployable, non entrepreneurial and renders then as perpetual job seekers.

"To transform, we need continuity and mentorship if our graduates beyond the classrooms. People should go beyond what they were taught and that is when the transformation will begin," Nebo proposed.

The Vice Chancellor of the CCU, Prof. Afam Itcha-Ituma stated that the Coal City University Distinguished Speaker Series, though presented in the format of a public lecture, goes far beyond a conventional academic exercise to serve as a deliberate platform for intellectual engagement, bringing together scholars, professionals, industry leaders, students, and the wider public to examine ideas that shape society and contribute to knowledge development and societal progress.

"Through initiatives such as this, Coal City University continues to strengthen its role as a centre of learning, influence, and thought leadership. The Distinguished Speaker Series provides a structured platform for intellectual engagement, creating space for critical reflection on societal issues, encouraging evidence-based discourse, and exposing students to diverse real-world perspectives that enrich their academic experience," Itcha-Ituma said.