The President of One Youth Global, Mr. Uchechukwu Agbo, made the call ahead of Spark Nation 3.0, the organisation’s flagship quiz and debate competition for secondary schools across West and Central Africa, scheduled to take place in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, between April and June 2026.
Agbo described the large number of out-of-school children as a national emergency that requires immediate intervention from the Federal Government and other stakeholders.
According to him, Nigeria cannot achieve meaningful development if millions of young people remain outside the formal education system.
“Currently, over 18 million children are still out of school in Nigeria. This is a state of emergency. For the nation to move forward, the Federal Government needs to do more to ensure that more young people enrol, remain in school, and graduate across the country," he said.
He noted that One Youth Global has already awarded more than 100 scholarships to students at different levels of education in about 22 states as part of efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children.
Agbo added that the organisation plans to expand the initiative beyond Nigeria to other parts of Africa.
“By 2027, we are looking at extending the programme across the entire African continent,” he said.
He also called for a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s education curriculum to equip young people with practical knowledge and problem-solving skills suited for the modern world.
“As we work to promote enrolment and excellence in our school system, there is also a need to review our curricula to meet 21st-century realities. Our young people must be empowered with the right knowledge. The conversation should move from simply asking what they want to become when they grow up to asking which problems they want to solve," he said.
On the welfare of teachers, Agbo expressed concern that poor remuneration and working conditions were discouraging talented individuals from joining the profession.
“There appears to be a situation where people who cannot find jobs elsewhere are left to become teachers because teachers are poorly paid. If we want to promote excellence in education, we must begin by paying teachers better and improving their working conditions," he said.
He also urged Nigerians in the diaspora to contribute to improving education in their home communities, stressing that government alone cannot resolve the crisis.
“Reshaping our education ecosystem cannot be done by government alone. Those who have travelled abroad should look back and invest in the education sector in their communities so that more children can have access to quality learning," he said.
Agbo further linked the country’s education crisis to rising insecurity, noting that a significant proportion of out-of-school children are located in northern Nigeria, where incidents of terrorism and violent crime are most prevalent.
“More than 70 per cent of the out-of-school children are in northern Nigeria where the incidence of terrorism is highest. This shows a clear connection between low literacy levels and insecurity. The more educated people are, the lower the likelihood of insecurity in that environment," he said.
He also called on governments at all levels to invest in modern learning infrastructure, including laboratories and libraries, noting that many public schools across the country remain poorly equipped.
“Our schools are seriously under-equipped. The average science student in Nigeria understands a lot of theory but has very little practical knowledge because many schools lack functional laboratories," he said.
Agbo added that meaningful reforms in the education sector would require deliberate and sustained investment in public schools across the country.
“University laboratories need to be equipped. Secondary school laboratories need to be equipped. Libraries need to be stocked with books. A number of government-owned primary and secondary schools in Nigeria still do not have functional libraries," he concluded.
