The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has advocated for enhanced remuneration and improved work environment for teachers if the nation wishes to achieve a functional education system.
Senator Akpabio also called for a return to the good old days when school teachers were adored, well-catered for, and highly regarded and respected in society.
He spoke in Abuja on Wednesday, which is the second day of the two-day maiden edition of the Nigeria Education Forum (NEF, 2025), organised by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the Federal Ministry of Education (FME), the Committee of States’ Commissioners of Education in Nigeria (COSCEN), and partners.
Represented by the Senate’s Chief Whip, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, Akpabio said: “Provide the conducive environment for them (teachers) to operate and inculcate knowledge into our children. That is the only way we can guarantee the future of our children and the future of our education.
“So, for education to succeed and for Nigeria to succeed, the interests of teachers must be addressed. Adequate remuneration is a sine qua non for the success of our education venture,” he said.
Senator Akpabio disclosed that the Senate was working to step up funding, improve accountability, and expand access to digital learning with a view to aligning the educational system with the needs of the country’s modern economy.
He added, “We know that the government alone cannot do it. Education is a national project. A national project succeeds when everyone – Federal, states, and local governments, including the private and public sectors – works towards the same goal.”
Senator Akpabio noted that the realisation informed the call for Local Government’s autonomy to enable the third tier of government to contribute its own quota, including supporting the education sector.
He said the responsibility of the nation’s leaders, teachers, and policy makers is to ensure that the dreams of today’s children do not die prematurely because of the absence of a functional educational system that guarantees the realisation of their future aspirations.
The Senate President added: “So, let us build a new partnership where research speaks to national challenges, where innovations grow out of our universities into our industries, where every child seeks a pathway to success, a pathway that is wide enough, strong enough, and welcoming enough to carry them.
“Let us choose to invest, not only in infrastructure, in imagination, not only in textbooks, but in talents; not only in structures, but in the spirit of our young people.
“If we choose to rise above politics, above doubts, above all hurdles that no longer serve us, then we will open the door to a future where Nigeria will become a beacon of learning and a powerhouse of ideas,” he said.
The Senate President said efforts should be directed at creating an egalitarian society where every member has an equal stake and has access to all available opportunities.
“We should provide a level playing field for all our children to realise their potential,” he said.

By Grace Edet

Northern states have dominated Nigeria’s male illiteracy chart, according to the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). The survey showed that a majority of men without formal education are concentrated in the Northwest and Northeast zones.
The report as shared on Statisense official X handle, revealed that Sokoto (66.8%), Kebbi (64.4%), and Yobe (61.9%) recorded the highest percentages of men with no formal education, followed closely by Jigawa (52.6%), Zamfara (51.2%) and Borno (48.1%).
The findings, experts say, underscore persistent educational inequalities across the country and highlight the developmental challenges facing the northern region.
Other states in the top 10 include Bauchi (47.7%), Niger (47.2%), and Gombe (46.5%), while Taraba (21.6%), Nasarawa (25.5%), and Adamawa (24.8%) ranked lower but still reflect significant learning deficits.
According to the NDHS, the data represents men aged 15 years and above who have never attended any formal school. The report attributes the disparities largely to longstanding socioeconomic barriers, insecurity, and cultural practices that have slowed educational progress in many northern communities.
“The data exposes the enduring inequality in Nigeria’s educational landscape. Without targeted literacy programs and sustained investment in school infrastructure, the divide between regions will continue to widen,” an Education Analyst, Ojuolape James stated.
Experts say the high rate of male illiteracy has far-reaching implications for economic productivity, civic participation, and national development, as it limits opportunities for employment, innovation, and community advancement.
They also emphasise that male education is critical to boosting family income levels, driving rural enterprise, and strengthening Nigeria’s overall human capital base.
Education stakeholders are urging federal and state governments to scale up adult literacy and non-formal education programmes, particularly in rural and conflict-affected areas, to bridge the widening learning gap.
Analysts further advise that state-level budgetary commitments to basic education should be closely monitored to ensure resources are directed towards teacher training, infrastructure upgrades, and community sensitisation campaigns.

Illiteracy Hotspots Across Nigeria

Below is the percentage of men with no formal education, according to NDHS 2024

Table compilation: Thetrustnews.com

Bridging the Learning Divide

The NDHS findings have renewed calls for inclusive education reforms that address regional disparities and strengthen access to learning for all age groups.
Stakeholders argue that achieving a balanced literacy rate across Nigeria is vital for sustainable growth and national cohesion. They note that while government efforts toward universal basic education are ongoing, effective implementation and local engagement remain critical to success.
As the report warns, without urgent and coordinated interventions, the gap between Nigeria’s educated and uneducated male populations could continue to expand—further entrenching inequality and limiting the nation’s development potential.

• Campuses comply, exams disrupted
• CONUA, medical, dental academics: we are not part of it
The Federal Government has directed Vice-chancellors to strictly implement the ‘No work, No-pay’ policy on striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Lecturers, who are members of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA), are, however, exempted from the order for not joining the strike.
The striking ASUU members began a 14-day warning strike yesterday in spite of the government’s appeal to them to have a rethink since it had agreed to most of their demands that are within the purview of the government.
Academic activities were grounded in many public universities monitored by our correspondents.
Some of these are: University of Lagos(UNILAG), University of Ibadan(UI), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Nnamdi Azikiwe University(NAU), University of Maiduguri, University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), and Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE).
In some like the University of Benin (UNIBEN), the University of Jos(UNIJOS), and the Federal University Dutse, examinations were halted.

CONUA and NAMDA, however, dissociated their members from the strike

Displeased with ASUU’s action, Education Minister Tunji Alausa ordered vice-chancellors to carry out physical headcounts of lecturers who report for work.
He added that the National Universities Commission(NUC) would monitor compliance with the directive and submit a ‘’consolidated report’’ to his ministry.
Alausa said in a letter to the vice-chancellors that the government was disappointed that the strike commenced ‘’despite repeated calls for the union(ASUU) to embrace constructive dialogue.’’
The letter reads in part: “The Federal Ministry of Education views with dissatisfaction the reports of the ongoing industrial action declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) despite repeated calls for the union to embrace constructive dialogue as the most effective and sustainable path toward resolving all outstanding issues in the tertiary education sector.
“In line with extant provisions of the Labour Laws of the Federation, the Federal Government reiterates its position on the enforcement of the ‘No-Work, No-Pay’ policy in respect of any employee who fails to discharge his or her official duties during the period of strike action.
“Accordingly, all vice-chancellors of federal universities are hereby directed to ensure strict application of this provision, which requires immediate actions as follows:
* Conduct a roll call and physical headcount of all academic staff in your institution;

*Submit a comprehensive report, clearly indicating staff who are present and performing their official duties, and those absent or participating in the strike; and
*Ensure that salary payment for the period of work stoppage is withheld from those who fail to perform their duties.
“For the avoidance of doubt, academic staff who are members of CONUA and NAMDA, who are not participating in the strike action, are exempted from this directive and shall not be subjected to any form of salary withholding.
“The NUC will monitor compliance with this directive and submit a consolidated report to the ministry within seven days of receipt of this circular.’’
The minister enjoined the vice-chancellors to treat the ‘’matter with utmost urgency and a deep sense of responsibility in national interest.”
Every single request by ASUU addressed, says minister
Alausa also said on a national television yesterday that the government had taken concrete steps to address all pending issues affecting the lecturers.
He said: “We have addressed every single request by ASUU; there is no need for this strike, and we are pleading with them to go back to school. “We need to keep our children in school. If there is any group of people I have met with most since assuming office, it is ASUU.”
The minister dismissed allegations that the Federal Government had been slow or unwilling to act on the union’s demands, insisting that several commitments had already been fulfilled.
“The arrears of their earned academic allowance have been paid. The President swiftly approved 50 billion naira months ago. Those allowances have now been mainstreamed into their salaries, so there will never be arrears again,” the minister explained.
He added that the government has also resolved issues relating to postgraduate supervision allowances, which are now being paid by universities, and that funds under the Needs Assessment Scheme were being released in phases.
“The President approved N150 billion for Needs Assessment in the 2026 budget. 50 billion naira of that has already been released, and the remaining will be paid in two more tranches. The money is already sitting in the Needs Assessment account,” Alausa said.
On promotion arrears, he explained that the payments have been captured in the 2026 budget.
The minister reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to maintaining a fair and transparent relationship with labour unions, stressing that the administration was prioritising sustainable funding for the education sector.

‘We are not afraid’
ASUU’s National President Christopher Piwuna said the union was not afraid of the government stopping the salaries of its members.
Piwuna told a national television station in Abuja that the decision of the government to enforce policy showed that it (government) has not learnt anything from previous strikes.
He alleged that the government offered the union members a 25 per cent increase on their present salary.
Piwuna vowed that the offer 25 per cent salary hike will not make ASUU members call off the strike.
He said: “We have tried everything, we have tried discussions, we have tried writing letters, we have had meetings, we have had behind-the-scenes discussions, we have visited traditional leaders away from the cameras, we have visited opinion leaders away from the cameras, none has worked.
‘’It is only when we get to this point (strike) that the government responds, unfortunately.
“The Ministry of Education, led by the minister, has not been sincere with us on this matter. In fact, three weeks ago, the minister told us that a document was ready… and that they were just waiting for the chairman from the Federal Government side to return from a religious pilgrimage to present it to us.”