• Says, Nigeria Suffering from neglect, poor policies
By Obinna Uballa
The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, has lamented that Nigeria is being overtaken by peer African countries in human capital and technological advancement due to years of institutional neglect, policy somersaults, and poor implementation.
Speaking at the 27th convocation of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) in Lagos, where he was conferred with an honorary fellowship, Achebe said the situation long predicted by former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Peter Okebukola, two decades ago, has now become more pronounced.
“Nigeria has suffered institutional neglect, policy somersaults and poor implementation,” he declared. “While other African countries are rapidly advancing with digital technology, we are still struggling to build the human capacity needed to compete.”
The monarch cited Nigeria’s chronic underfunding of education as a major setback.
Over the past 25 years, the country has allocated just 7.81 per cent of its budget to the sector, less than half of UNESCO’s recommended 20–26 per cent. In 2025, the combined federal and 22-state allocation fell further to 7.3 per cent, with only Enugu, Kano, Kaduna, and Jigawa meeting the lower end of the UNESCO benchmark. By contrast, Ghana (24.37%), Kenya (21.70%), Senegal (21.32%), South Africa (19.94%) and Morocco (17.61%) all outpace Nigeria.
Achebe also warned of the growing gap between soaring demand and limited institutional capacity. Two decades ago, over two million candidates competed for just 750,000 university spaces. With Nigeria’s population now estimated at 233–237 million, up from 140 million in 2006, this imbalance has worsened. The situation, he added, is compounded by the “Japa” brain drain phenomenon, which is robbing the country of skilled professionals.
NAL President, Prof. Sola Akinrinade, in his remarks, called on the federal government to synergise for national development, stressing that “the wellbeing of every society depends on its effective management.” He underscored the role of the humanities in guiding the digital revolution, crafting policies on digital ethics, and ensuring technology serves African values.
Akinrinade identified Nigeria’s challenges as underdevelopment, economic instability, socio-political crises, poor infrastructure, erratic electricity supply, inadequate roads and water supply, a failing healthcare system, food insecurity, environmental degradation, poor education and corruption.
He also lamented the country’s declining value system, manifest in poor leadership, low productivity, waning civic responsibility, lack of patriotism, and weak commitment to national goals, and urged the Federal Executive Council to institute a value re-orientation programme.
University of Lagos Vice Chancellor, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, charged the NAL to promote a national culture where citizens are defined by what they do right, not wrong. “Until Nigerians are proud of who we are, we can never be great,” she said.
