Gov. Aminu Masari has blamed the elite for the partial collapse of the education sector in the country.
“The elites of this country have sabotaged public schools by neglecting the institutions which children of the less privileged attend,’’ Masari said at the opening of 2017 Barewa Old Boys Association (BOBA) annual meeting on Saturday in Katsina.
“Poor leadership has affected several sectors, especially the education sector that has relationship with national development.
“No nation can prosper without sound and qualitative education and some of our leaders send their children to private schools while children of the masses are left to attend public schools that produce half baked graduates.
“Some elites go to the extent of sending their children abroad to obtain degrees and post graduate qualifications,’’ he said.
Masari noted that the main problem facing Nigeria was inadequate use of resources.
“In Nigeria, we are not facing the problem of scarce resources, but we are facing the problem of managing the resources to make good use of them.
“During the previous administration about four years ago, Nigerian government made lot of money, but this was mismanaged by some crooks in position of authority.
“Corrupt leaders mismanaged millions of US dollars and refused to inject the money into the economy,’’ he said
The Governor said that his administration had spent over N3.5 billion to rehabilitate and upgrade public secondary and primary schools in the state.
He said the administration had also allocated about N20 billion in the 2018 budget to the education sector.
Earlier speaking BOBA National President Mallam Dahiru Ibrahim commended the state government for its commitment towards developing the education sector in the state.
NAN reports that Barewa College had produced five former Nigerian leaders -Retired Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Late Gen. Murtala Mohammed, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa, Alhaji Shehu Shagari and later Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua (NAN)