Former chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chidi Odinkalu, has jeered the minister of education, Adamu Adamu, over his inability to reduce the number of out-of-school children under his watch.
Adamu had in 2015 upon his swearing-in promised to increase number of pupils in school and cut the number of children out of school by half.
But speaking on Tuesday during his valedictory session at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, Adamu apologised for his inability to fuflfil his promise which he said was embarrassing especially when he attends foreign conferences.
He said: “When I attend conferences outside the country and the issue of out-of-school children is being discussed, I feel embarrassed. It is a big mark of shame to me as a person and to us as a nation. Nigeria is the highest even though in the number of out-of-school even though we are not known for poverty.
“We promised to reduce out-of-school children by half. I must apologise, we have failed in that. I’m hoping that the next minister will address it.”
In a tweet on Wednesday, Odinkalu said that instead of the minister reducing the number of out-of-school children, it had grown from over 10 million to nearly 15 million.
“When he was sworn in in 2015, #Nigeria’s Education Minister, Adamu Adamu, promised to halve number of out-of-school children. Rather than cut the number, they’ve grown under his watch from over 10m to nearer 15m. The Minister says he’s sorry for this,” Odinkalu said.
