Obasanjo Raises Alarm: 24m Out-of-School Children Threaten Nigeria’s Stability

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned that Nigeria faces grave instability unless urgent action is taken to address the country’s growing out-of-school children crisis.

Speaking in Sokoto at the commissioning of the Bakhita ICT Centre, Obasanjo described the figure—put at 24 million—as a time bomb that could explode into future insecurity.

“We have 24 million children that should be in school but are not. You don’t need an oracle to know that this will be the recruiting ground for the Boko Haram of tomorrow. If we fail to prepare for that now, the Boko Haram of today will be child’s play,” he said.

The former leader stressed that education, human development, and empowerment remain central to Nigeria’s survival, insisting that diversity must be harnessed as a strength and not a weakness.

Obasanjo recalled his administration’s efforts through the Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Basic Education (UBE) programmes to expand access to learning, warning that no society can progress without educating its citizens.

While commending Bishop Matthew Kukah’s consistency in advocacy, he urged Nigerians to take charge of their national narrative instead of allowing outsiders to define it.

Obasanjo also urged policymakers to prepare young Nigerians for a digital economy, stressing that skills beyond mere computer literacy will determine relevance in the global future.

On agriculture, he queried why Nigeria continues to import staple foods despite abundant arable land and manpower, noting that farmers will only remain in business if they make profit.

Reflecting on Nigeria’s political history, he praised the role of traditional leaders in fostering inclusion, recalling how the late Sultan of Sokoto supported women’s participation in elections in 1979 when they first gained voting rights in Northern Nigeria.

He concluded with a call for unity and purpose, saying: “Those things that are essential to hold us together—knowledge, empowerment, inclusion—are what will make Nigeria strong.”