Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Muhammed has adduced the current insecurity in the country to the consequences of the 1975 coup d’etat.
The July 29, 1975 coup saw the overthrow of General Yakubu Gowon and the take over by Murtala Muhammed.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Newsnight on Monday, Mohammed said that a town hall meeting organised by the federal government discussed plans to ensure free and compulsory primary education for children of school age.
He said that the measure was to avert another civil war in Nigeria. Regrettably according to him, the idea was trashed after the 1975 coup which removed Gowon. This left the country with many out-of-school children.
He added that militant insurgent groups have a read pool of Amy to recruit from the country’s 13.2 million out-of-school children. This has resulted in heightened insecurity in the country.
In his words, Lai Mohammed said that, “The fact is that in 1973, we were informed by the lead discussant that the government of the day then had a retreat and said there must be a national pledge that what is that thing that we must do to ensure we did not go through another civil war.
The government of that day day came out with a decision that what will prevent another civil war is to ensure that anybody born after 1970 has free and compulsory primary education.
“Regrettably, that administration was overthrown two years later and all the lofty ideas and all the preparations that were needed to ensure that every child of school age acquired free and compulsory education were jettisoned.
The minister added that, “We are paying the price today because if you have 13.2 million children of school age out of school, that is the market which Boko Haram bandits, IPOB and other militants, that the market where they recruit the people.”
He advised that, “we must ensure that we go back to that and ensure at least free primary education for the first nine years for each child.”