ASO ROCK WATCH: On Buhari’s investment in education. Two other talking points

President Muhammadu Buhari, last week, stated that his administration was making solid investment in education for the good of the younger generation in the country.

We tracked two other stories from the Aso Rock Villa for your reading delight.

1. Weighing Buhari’s investment in education

On May 27, President Buhari expressed his commitment to uplifting the education standard in Nigeria.

This was contained in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in celebration of Children’s Day.

The President noted that his administration would continue to work hard to ensure that every child had access to education which prepares them for a bright future.

Buhari’s stance with respect to the education sector sounds inspiring but an irreconcilable development is the shabby treatment his administration has given to the knowledge industry since he ascended power in 2015.

With most public tertiary institutions shut down for months over government’s failure to meet basic demands of lecturers, Buhari’s claims to seriousness in providing access to quality education is deceptive.

With infrastructural decay in the universities and polytechnics staring Nigerians in the face, and over 18 million children out of school, the country’s education sector can best be described as being in shambles.

It must be said that Buhari presents no future hope as his administration is left with just about a year to quit. Indeed, it would be a herculean task for the incoming administration, as the Federal Government has consistently failed to meet up with UNESCO’s recommended 26% budgetary allocation to education.

Two other talking points

2. Dealing with killings in South-East

President Muhammadu Buhari, on May 25, threatened that those behind wild killings in the South-East region should expect a tough response from the security forces.

Read also :ASO ROCK WATCH: Leaning on divide-and-rule tactics. Two other talking points

“I strongly condemn the wild, barbarous and wanton killings of innocent people in the South-East, as well as in other parts of Nigeria. The perpetrators of these deeply distressing attacks should expect the toughest possible response from the security forces,” he tweeted on his verified Twitter handle, @MBuhari.

Buhari’s threat to deal with criminals everywhere is a familiar singsong. What most residents of the South-East region and elsewhere are yearning for is visible and concrete action against perpetrators of evil.

Though the detention of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, is believed to be the major cause of the insecurity in the South-East, the President must explore all feasible options, including dialogue, to end the reign of terror.

3. Hanging on the Buhari experience

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on May 22, asserted that the experience he had garnered being a Vice President is required for continuity in governing Nigeria.

Osinbajo said this during his meeting with stakeholders as well as delegates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Kaduna and Kebbi States.

Osinbajo, speaking through his Media Aide, Laolu Akande, said, “My experience is crucial, especially in governing a country of our size. This is why I decided to put myself forward to serve as President.”

It is doubtful how Osinbajo’s connection to the Buhari administration will do him so much good on the campaign trail. This is because the ruling party has woefully failed to tick the right boxes in managing security, corruption, economy, unemployment, among others.

All said, it is only safe to conclude that Osinbajo is handicapped as he cannot publicly deny himself and the government he works for for.

It is up to Nigerians to make sense of his various claims to success and the underlying factors that make him the best that APC could put forward as a presidential candidate ahead of the 2023 polls.

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