By Victor Ahiuma-Young

As Nigeria few days ago joined the rest of the world to mark the International Day of Education, the Chief Executive Officer of Sterling One Foundation, Mrs Olapeju Ibekwe, has warned that the country’s worsening education crisis now poses a serious threat to its economic, social, and security future, calling for urgent, coordinated action across all sectors of society.

In a statement to commemorate the global observance, Ibekwe disclosed that more than 18 million Nigerian children are currently out of school—the highest number globally—while learning poverty at the primary school level exceeds 70 per cent, according to UNICEF. 

She described the situation as “not just an education failure, but a national emergency with long-term consequences.”

According to her, continued delays in decisive action risk producing an entire generation without the foundational skills required to contribute meaningfully to society, with implications for productivity, innovation, and national stability.

Ibekwe stressed that education reform can no longer be left to government alone, urging a whole-of-society approach that mobilises government, the private sector, civil society, communities, development finance institutions, DFIs, and international non-governmental organisations around a shared national goal.

She identified a clear “North Star” for the country: ensuring that by 2030, every Nigerian child acquires foundational literacy, numeracy, and essential life skills, regardless of gender, geography, or income level.

“This common goal allows policies, budgets, innovation, and accountability systems to be aligned toward a single outcome—learning for every child, everywhere,” she said.

The Sterling One Foundation CEO noted that recent multi-stakeholder dialogues on education financing and reform have revealed three critical lessons: coalitions deliver better results than isolated interventions; sustainable impact requires multi-year funding; and education financing must be catalytic, coordinated, and outcomes-driven.

She outlined the complementary roles of various stakeholders, explaining that while government must provide policy direction, regulation, financing, and teacher development, the private sector brings capital, technology, and innovation. Civil society and communities, she added, ensure relevance and accountability, while DFIs and international partners contribute patient capital, technical expertise, and global best practices.

Ibekwe cited global examples to demonstrate the impact of long-term, coalition-based approaches. She referenced Rwanda’s use of pooled financing to expand classrooms and teacher training, Ghana’s private sector–supported education technology initiatives reaching underserved communities, and Vietnam’s sustained development financing which helped raise literacy rates from 58 per cent to over 95 per cent within two generations.

She further underscored the link between education and national security, noting that research shows each additional year of schooling can reduce youth participation in violent extremism by up to 20 per cent. 

She added that regions with persistent educational exclusion often overlap with Nigeria’s insecurity hotspots.

Calling on the private sector to go beyond traditional corporate social responsibility, Ibekwe advocated strategic co-investment aligned with national priorities and designed for scale, noting that every naira invested in education strengthens human capital, inclusion, future jobs, and national resilience.

She urged governments to align budgets and accountability frameworks with learning outcomes, development partners and DFIs to deploy catalytic financing at scale, and citizens to continue demanding education as a national priority.

“If Nigeria unites around a shared vision and mobilises the full strength of society, today’s education crisis can become the defining opportunity of this generation,” she said.

Ibekwe concluded that education remains Nigeria’s most powerful investment in prosperity, peace, and the promise of the future, stressing that the time for decisive action is now.