The Education Sector and the Crises of the Nigerian State

Opinions are varied on whether Nigeria is a failing or failed state. The inability of the ruling class to sustain the tempo achieved in the development of the country in the opening years of its independence has often agitated the minds of discerning and concerned citizens. Infrastructural decay, corruption, political ineptitude, declining economic conditions, social inequality, religious bigotry, and a general sense of insecurity have pervaded the country's domestic landscape. In particular, the declining fortunes of the education sector and the apparent official neglect of that sector have placed Nigeria's present and future on a dangerous pedestal. Education is synonymous with self-improvement and national development. Yet, its progress has stagnated and indeed deteriorated over the years. Heaping the blame on one cause is an exercise in futility. Rather, there should be concerted efforts at both the official and unofficial levels to checkmate the obvious decline in both the quality of education and its perception by the government as secondary to other national issues.