Kehinde Fajobi
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned that Nigeria’s growing number of out-of-school children, estimated at over 20 million, poses a significant security threat to the nation.
Speaking in Bauchi on Sunday during the commissioning of projects by Governor Bala Mohammed, Obasanjo expressed concern about the future consequences of leaving so many children uneducated.
He stated, “That is 10 percent of our population that should be in school but are not. Governor, your royal highnesses, brothers and sisters, that is recruitment for future Boko Haram, nobody needs to tell us that.”
Obasanjo stressed that failing to equip these children with education leaves them vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups in the next 10 to 15 years.
“We are preparing them to be recruited in 10 to 15 years’ time for whatever form of Boko Haram or banditry it will be,” he said.
He urged the nation to focus on human capacity building and education to address this looming threat.