By Ayodele Fagbohun

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It is a matter for regret that education as a fundamental right as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human rights is merely adumbrated, not expressly elucidated in the constitution of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Article 7: Aims and objectives of the party No. XIII states as follows:” to foster and defend the freedom of the Press and the fundamental freedom and human rights of all Nigerians and the people of the world in general.”
Bluntly put, this is very nebulous, ambiguous and falls short of people’s expectation on a vital issue as education. For it fails to hit the nail on the head on the dire need to erect in the legal document a specific provision on education which is justiceable and legally enforceable for the good of the public.
In a sharp contrast, an erstwhile Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) constitution. In the preliminary part 1 of the document states inter-alia: “the party shall in particular vigorously and with a sense of urgency pursue the following policies and programmes:-
(i) Free and compulsory education at primary and secondary levels; (ii) free education at post-secondary and post-graduate level; (iii) free adult education and (iv) free curative and preventive health services for all Nigerians.”
It is instructive and imperative that any government at all, not inclined to the bourgeois, capitalist that is exploitative of the working class and the have-nots must concede right to education and vigorously fund education as a major policy and programme to sustainable development goals adopted by the international community.
It is nauseating, disheartening and paradoxical in view of the incredible and overwhelming resources wasted all over the place, that millions of our school going children and adults alike drop out of school and remain deprived of educational opportunities. This is a great crime against humanity!
Besides, education in itself an empowering right, a potent tool that can lift the entire citizenry from the grim poverty and to fully and actively participate in the society. In order to do so, there must be equality of opportunity and universal access to education.
It is an unfortunate and a sad scenario that the nation has regressed backwardly in the development around the world as far as progress in education is concerned.
The lage sage Awo who in 1955 kick started the revolution in education on free Universal Primary School Education (UPE) throughout Western Region. Recalled that as far back as September 1943 when the Secretary of State Colonies, Colonel Oliver Stanley visited Nigeria, he (Awo) as Secretary of Nigeria Youth Movement (NYM) had presented a memo co-signed by Mr Ernest Ikoli (an Ijaw nationality and NYM Chairman) demanding three things:
(i) “That the government ought to find the money for free education; (ii) That the government should create 200 annual scholarships for the brightest students in Nigeria to study abroad in all branches of studies – agriculture, industry, commence, science and arts; (iii) That the government should formulate and carry out plans that within five years, free medical facilities will be made available to all men and women throughout the country.”
Awo, as head of government even under the colonial tutelage pursued a relentless and fanatical commitment to education. Education alone gulped one-third (1/3) of the entire annual budget in the West. This was very fantastic. However, 50 years after this feat, in 2004 edition of the Guinness World Records put Nigeria as next only to Somalia in the world as poor and economically devastated countries that spend least on education vis-à-vis its Gross National Product, with Nigeria’s at only 0.7%.
Awo’s government inherited a revenue base of N5.3million pounds as total revenue from the British Colonial administration in 1952 and managed it frugally to accrue exponentially to 18.4 million pounds sterling per annum eight years later when he vacated office as premier. Besides, some gifted students in strategic fields like engineering, technology, medicine, accountancy even in the liberal arts and social sciences were awarded scholarships to study abroad.
Such is the sterling attribute of good governance that must be emulated by our governments be it local, state of federal instead of being unnecessarily grandiloquent on ephemeral and tinsel issues that may not stand the test of time.
Our governments must be held accountable to fulfill socio-political, legal and cultural obligations, to provide free education and implement education policies and strategies more effectively to bring sanity to the earnest business of politics.
All hands must be on deck and government must be up to the task to support the spirited efforts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation UNESCO on its radical and pragmatic outlook and mission on children rights in relation to digital environment.
It is unfortunate that many African countries and the so called third world including Nigeria do not ensure right to free primary education. We only pay glib and lip service to education. Because, the nation’s budgetary allocation to education is niggardly which should be deplored and be swiftly reviewed upward.
Against this backdrop, glowing tribute should be paid to the visionary government of Awo and the subsequent UPN State governments in the Second Republic for blazing the trail of free education in spite of the lean resources accrued to state governments and the ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN) federal government to thwart the programme. It was rare feat accomplished and successful peaceful revolution without firing a shot, first in Africa South of Sahara.
Some reactionary elements of dubious right wing apostasy, petty bloodshot capitalist agents in shrewd collaboration with neo colonialism and fascism worked successfully to truncate the progressive policies and programmes of UPN and put Awo out of circulation. Hence, the cumulative effect of the present precarious existence and living of the entire citizenry now disenchanted and disillusioned with the country supposedly flowing with proverbial milk and honey.
Some of the elite who pooh-poohed Awo’s free education as dreamed utopian idea, unrealistic white elephant project later went ahead to establish their own elitist private universities that are beyond the reach of the common man. Thus, subverting the public tertiary institutions from playing its strategic role of a classless society.
To add salt to injury, some are old, stricken in advanced age; they foul public space by propounding puerile and unworkable solution, shedding crocodile tears having done and inflicted monumental and irreparable wrongs on the nation that only the grace of God and time can redress and remedy.
Therefore, the government must energise the people and be prepared to mobilize all available resources to entrench free education at all levels as the basic right of Nigerian people to contend with various and multi faceted challenges no matter how it may pose insuperable to tackle head-on.
Professor Akin Mabogunje, a distinguished geographer and eminent public man has pointed out that free education did not imply that no one could ever have to pay for it but “free access to education whether their parents could afford it or not.”
According to him, “all tax payers, whether rich and poor whether they have children of school going age or not, have to be taxed to provide the financial resources to pay for the scheme. It is the panacea to build a literate, virile and peaceful society in the ultimate.”
Right to free education cum free health services is inalienable which is sine qua non to good government and to prepare Nigerian youth to assume leadership of the country in the nearest future.
To realize this noble objective and national assignment, federal and state governments must levy capitation tax on highest paid employees in government, industry and business house, whatever they earn in excess should be taxed of their hands to bankroll free education and medical health throughout the federation.
In addition, tax should be imposed on hospitality industry, Cinema houses, lottery to strengthen the revenue base.
Nigerians should be ready to make sacrifice and do the needful to promote peace and happiness for the greatest majority number of our population.