By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – AS Nigeria joins rest of the world to commemorate 2022 World Literacy Day, a chieftain of Labour Party, LP, and Founder, One Love Foundation, OLF, Chief Patrick Eholor, Monday, blasted present and past leaders in the country over educational sector quagmire.

Speaking on the appalling situation of educational standards over the years, Eholor described the scenario as unfortunate.

Pointing at the seven months strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, accused the administrations of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, over alleged damage both have done to the educational sector.

He said with the unconcerned attitude of government towards revamping the educational sector the country will remain static in development except Nigerians will vote them out of power in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

The 2022 theme for World Literacy Day is ‘Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces.’ 

According to UNESCO, this theme will serve as an opportunity to rethink the fundamental importance of literacy and learning spaces to build resilience and ensure quality, equitable, and inclusive education for all.

He said: “Education is the light of any nation,it is unfortunate we might not be able to recover from the damage the previous PDP government and the present APC government have done to our educational sector, take for example the ASUU strike that has been on for the past seven months.

“Education has no value again, those who are presently ruling us categorically Mr President his academic credentials are questionable, Adams Oshiomhole,  our former Edo State Governor, his credentials were questionable, the present Governor of Edo State, his credentials are questionable, 65 per cent of National Assembly members, their credentials are questionable, 58 per cent of members of the House of Representatives have questionable credentials, 70 per cent of members of the State House of Assembly have questionable credentials, the Police Force, the military academy, the customs, the immigration officers, and others.

“We need to holistically reform the institutions if we have any at all.

The leaders who are supposed to take education very seriously are paying a lukewarm attitude to it because they don’t have the qualifications to hold their present or past offices.

“Someone has to come and change the situation there is hunger and starvation in our land, kidnapping and banditry and other social vices.

“We need to come together and correct the wrongs of yesterday. Recently the President of America, Joe Biden, forgave students that took loan because they value education.