Mbah Calls for National Emergency in Education as UNICEF, UNESCO Laud Enugu's Commitment

Our Reporter 

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has called for a quantum leap in Nigeria’s education sector and the declaration of a national emergency in education, saying the country’s future prosperity depends on the knowledge and capabilities of its people.

Mbah made the call on Wednesday while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Enugu Education Summit and unveiling of the Enugu State Education Policy at the International Conference Centre, Enugu.

The summit, themed “Transforming Education for the Future: Leadership, Innovation, Partnership, Financing and Sustainable Reform,” attracted education stakeholders, including UNICEF, UNESCO, the British Council and other national and international development partners.

Mbah said Nigeria had reached a point where education must be treated as a national emergency, not merely in rhetoric but through increased funding, teacher development, infrastructure, higher standards and stronger partnerships among governments, development agencies, communities and the private sector.

“Whatever education costs us today, ignorance will cost us far more tomorrow,” the governor said, stressing that the critical question was no longer whether Nigeria could afford a quantum leap in education, but what would happen if it failed to make the investment.

He said no nation could eradicate poverty or achieve sustainable development without equipping its people with the knowledge, skills and capabilities required to create wealth, secure employment, build enterprises and participate meaningfully in society.

Mbah said Nigeria must move from a consumption economy to a “creation economy” by equipping young people not only to use what others create but also to research, design, engineer and produce what the world needs.

The governor cited Enugu’s investment of 33 per cent of its annual budget in education for three consecutive years, resulting in the construction of 268 Smart Green Schools and more than 7,000 classrooms equipped with 21st-century learning tools.

He said the administration deliberately chose a quantum leap rather than incremental reforms because the existing education system, largely designed for an earlier era, could not adequately prepare children for the future.

Unveiling the Enugu State Education Policy, Mbah said it was already being implemented and would serve as the benchmark for the state’s education sector over the next six to 10 years.

Meanwhile, UNICEF, UNESCO and the British Council commended the Mbah administration for making education the centerpiece of its development agenda.

Representing UNICEF Country Representative to Nigeria, Wafaa Saeed, the Chief of Field Office, Enugu, Mrs Juliet Chilewe, said the state had demonstrated strong commitment to education transformation through investments in Smart Green Schools, teachers, foundational learning, digital literacy and experiential learning.

She noted that UNICEF had supported the development of the Enugu State Education Sector Plan 2026–2035.

Similarly, UNESCO, represented by its Education Sector Officer-in-Charge, Mr Adeyemi Oladeji, praised Mbah’s leadership, citing the 268 Smart Green Schools, Centre for Experiential Learning and Innovation and the planned recruitment of more than 6,000 teachers.

The British Council, represented by its Director, English and School Education, Nigeria, Fwanshihsak Daniel, also commended the state’s education ambitions and pledged continued partnership to translate its policies into improved classroom outcomes.

The Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ndubueze Mbah, thanked the governor and development partners for their support, assuring that Enugu had embarked on a journey of irreversible educational progress.

The event featured the official unveiling of the Enugu State Education Policy and a tour of the Smart Green School Innovation Studio, showcasing innovations developed by students of the state’s Smart Green Schools.