Educate The Poor, Or Face The Consequences, Tinubu Cautions Leaders

President Bola Tinubu has emphasized the urgent need to address the educational needs of underprivileged children, warning that neglect could result in social upheaval that would affect all segments...READ MORE…

of society, including the affluent.

Speaking at a roundtable on youth development in northern Nigeria, organized by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in Abuja on Tuesday, Tinubu stressed the importance of collective action. Represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, he stated:

“We can afford to send our children to private schools, but the children of the poor whom we neglect will eventually chase us out of this land.”

The event, themed ‘Empowering the Next Generation: Strategies for Sustainable Youth Development in Northern Nigeria’, highlighted the challenges facing education in the northern region. Tinubu urged leaders to approach these issues with urgency and innovative solutions.

“Whatever hinders the growth of one region sets back the entire nation,” he said. “This is why we are prioritizing initiatives such as the Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Commission, which aims to collaborate with all levels of government to ensure access to quality education for every child.”

Tinubu also highlighted the federal government’s focus on empowering local governments to improve primary education funding through enhanced autonomy. However, he noted that governance is a shared responsibility, urging citizens to hold leaders accountable.

In his message to the youth, Tinubu encouraged them to embrace tolerance, hard work, and spirituality, values exemplified by the late Sardauna of Sokoto. He added that the creativity and energy of Nigerian youth present an opportunity to drive transformative growth for the country and Africa as a whole.

“Empowering our youth is not just a regional priority but a national necessity,” he concluded.