FG, states urged to prioritise, increase budgetary allocation to education

THE Chairman of Pace Setters Schools, Abuja, Mr Kenneth Imansuagbon, has called for increased budgetary allocation to the education sector at all levels, just as he lamented the difficulties of running a private school in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Speaking at the International Cultural Day of the Pace Setters College, Abuja, Imansuagbon, urged both the Federal and States governments to prioritise education if Nigeria was to move up the ladder in the comity of nations.

Imansuagbon, said that  the government was trying but its trial was is not enough.

He, however, blame corruption as the root cause of the inadequate funding and falling standard of education in Nigeria.

He also disclosed that one of the major impediments to establishment of academic institution in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is the difficulty in acquiring land, saying he had applied about 10 years ago for land to build a world-class university in collaboration with an American University but has yet to get approval.

He said: “We blame government because of corruption, because they must be accountable. Yes, I support President Buhari administration and everybody must support the Buhari administration on its fight against corruption.

“If we don’t steal we should be able to save and give to education. I’m a proponent of the argument that education must receive the highest funding in the budget. It’s not a negotiation,  you are not educated, you are a blind person. Education is what has made Japan, Germany, Europe, America, China, to be where they are.

“Unfortunately, here in Nigeria, education is dying, standards are falling, basically because of corruption; nothing else. But we must deliberately fund our education as a priority and not a second thought investment.

“Education must be prioritised against the lean resources. If leakages are blocked and pushed towards qualitative education, the country is set to be reckoned with among the comity of nations,” he said.

A former Peoples Democratic Party governorship aspirant in Edo State, Mr Imansuagbon, called on the President Muhammadu led administration to ensure justice and equity in the country.

He noted that culture as a way of life the world should be a unifying factor in Nigeria.

He said: “In Nigeria we are diversified people in terms of culture but the diversity of our culture is very beautiful. Strength can be derived from that diversity. We differ in tribe and culture but we are one people under God.