Insecurity: Encourage youths to embrace education, ex-perm sec tells FG
A retired Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Lagos State, Kunle Adegboye, has urged the Federal Government to compel Nigerian youths, especially in the North, to embrace education to reduce the high level of banditry and kidnapping in Nigeria.
He gave this advice during an interview with PUNCH Online on the sideline of the 50th anniversary of Fatima College 7074 Set, held at Ibadan Recreation Club in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Sunday.
Adegboye, who is also the Vice President of 7074 set, said it is high time the government takes decisive action on the recruitment of young Nigerians into banditry and kidnapping squads.
“The Federal Government should make a frantic effort by forcing or compelling our youths to go to school, especially in the North because the level of illiteracy is higher than here in the South, and this is our major problem in the North.
“This is a future problem, and we need to tackle it right now. They are easily brainwashed because of a lack of education and knowledge.
“So, the current administration under President Tinubu should do something urgently to address it. His government should ensure that these youths are compelled to go to school. It may be technical or vocational skills. If we can do that, it will reduce the level of insecurity if not permanently solved, because an idle hand is a devil’s workshop.” He submitted.
In his remarks, the National President of the college, Henry Otoibi said, “Presently, the standard of education has gone down. But some of us were privileged to have gone through school when education had value. When education was the pride. When parents wanted to see their children going to school so that they could become useful citizens.
“But over time, the standard deteriorated, and the value system went down. Though we are in the computer age, the digital age, the value we had then is what is still guiding us. In those days, we have teachers that were committed then but I cannot say the level of commitment of teachers of nowadays.”
He therefore urged the government to return schools to their original owners, saying, “If the government can return schools to the owners, I mean the missionaries and individuals that started the schools, the standard of education will improve.
“The government has too many schools in the hands to control. Look at what happened in Lagos State when Tinubu came in, he returned some schools to the owners so that the government could concentrate on the ones it knows they have the ability and strength to control.”
Otoibi then commended the contribution of the 7074 set to ensure that the college maintains its status.
