In Nigeria, the Compulsory, Free, Universal Basic Education Act (CFUBEA) of 2003 and the Universal Basic Education Act of 2004 mandate that every government in Nigeria provide free, compulsory, and universal basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age.
However, these acts do not make basic education a fundamental right under Chapter IV of the Constitution, which lists enforceable rights.
Nonetheless, education remains as important as the country itself because an educated population is a developed nation.
It is therefore laudable that in the 2025 budget for Imo State, the Ministry of Education has been allocated ₦49,460,000,000, which represents 7.1% of the total budget of ₦807,088,041,220.
What remains is the materialization of this budget allocation, because until it’s impact is felt by the citizenry, the humongous figures remain largely inconsequential.
C- Advocate’s visit to Central School Mbutu, was quite revealing.
On February 14, 2025, C-Edu, a brainchild of the Centre for Social Awareness, Advocacy and Ethics (CSAAE), helped Dominion Desmond Nwasor, a 13-year-old boy who had been out of school due to financial constraints.
The story of C- Edu’s intervention and its results can be read on this website.
Master Dominion, one of five children of his poor parents, had dropped out of school but refused to be registered with a government school.
When asked why he hadn’t enrolled Dominion in a government school, his father’s response became clear when C- Advocate arrived at Central School Mbutu, where Dominion was to resume, having received a free Back-to-School pack from the CSAAE. The school’s dire conditions were heartbreaking, with only two teachers for the entire school, broken ceilings, a lack of perimeter fencing, and no clean water or sanitation facilities.
The pupils ran around uncontrollably, and the environment was anything but conducive to learning.
At that moment, C-Advocate could understand the father’s hesitation—how can we expect children to thrive in such conditions?
Dominion’s story is a stark reminder that while small actions can create lasting change, one child’s return to school is not enough.
The deplorable conditions of many public schools demand urgent intervention. Children deserve safe, functional, and well-equipped learning environments.
C-Advocate therefore calls on good-spirited, philanthropic Nigerians as well as government at all levels, to support Children’s education by supporting school infrastructure projects, or donating to provide learning materials.
Education is a right and rights can be demanded when they are withheld from or not readily available to the populace.