President Bola Tinubu‘s policies have once again come under fire, this time for offering scholarships to Caribbean students while millions of Nigerian children remain out of school.
During a state visit to Saint Lucia, Tinubu announced a new initiative granting scholarships to students from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to study in Nigeria.
The announcement stirred sharp reactions back home, with critics calling it a tone-deaf move at a time when the country’s own education system is in crisis.
“We are moving forward to facilitate business and education opportunities, build capacity, and explore other areas such as agriculture and food security. We won’t drop the ball,” Tinubu said during a press briefing with Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre.
He explained that a joint Nigeria-OECS committee would coordinate the plan, with visa waivers and other partnerships on the table.
Peter Obi Calls It a Betrayal of Nigerian Children
Labour Party’s Peter Obi responded swiftly, accusing Tinubu of ignoring the plight of Nigerian children.
“It is heartbreaking that our President, who is the leader of a country with the highest number of out-of-school children in the world… would offer scholarships to children in another country while his own country’s education system is in ruins,” Obi said.
He added that many pupils in Abuja, the capital city, are currently out of school as teachers remain on strike over unpaid salaries.
“This is not leadership, it is negligence at its peak. It is an act of betrayal against the Nigerian child,” he said.
A Country with Broken Schools Giving Scholarships Abroad?
Obi questioned the logic behind offering foreign scholarships when Nigeria’s own education sector is severely underfunded.
He pointed to figures showing over 20 million Nigerian children are out of school, with literacy levels under 60% and a life expectancy of just 54 years.
“So tell me, what sense does it make that a president of a country with such terrible and dire statistics would travel to a country with better indexes of development and still offer them scholarships funded by Nigerian taxpayers?” he asked.
By comparison, Saint Lucia has a literacy rate above 90%, life expectancy above 72 years, and is ranked in the “high category” of the Human Development Index.
Obi said Tinubu’s action proves that he understands the value of education—but refuses to prioritise it at home.
“Mr. President, by offering St Lucia students a scholarship, shows he knows how important education is, while depriving Nigerian students of the same access to education,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to reject “these continued normalisations of misplaced priorities.”
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