EDUCATION AS A VIABLE TOOL FOR PLACING NIGERIA IN ITS RIGHTFUL PLACE AMONG THE COMITY OF NATIONS: OBSTACLES AND SOLUTIONS
OBOADA ALAFONYE URIAH
Department of Educational Foundations and Management, Faculty of Education, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
NWACHUKWU PRINCE OLOLUBE *
Department of Educational Foundations and Management, Faculty of Education, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
DENNIS OGUTUM OLOLUBE
Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This theoretical debate explored the strength of Nigeria’s education (her abundant human and material resources). It noted that Nigeria’s educational performance has fallen short of the expectations of African countries and indeed the world considering her enormous human and material resources, in terms of poor/corrupt leadership, poverty and unemployment, power failures and lack of portable drinking water, inability to conduct free-fair and credible elections, insecurity, going overseas for medical treatment. The paper identifies education as the only hope if Nigeria must occupy her rightful position in the comity of nations, but regretted poor funding, poor infrastructure, corruption and indiscipline in leadership, cultism, exam malpractices, shortage of staff, poor quality of teachers, etc. as some of the challenges impeding educational development in Nigeria has consequently affected her ranking in the comity of nations.
Keywords: Education, higher education, viable tools, obstacles, solutions, Nigeria, comity of nations