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Why UK aid is Ineffective for Nigeria’s Education Sector

By Ottoabasi Abasiekong on November 22, 2012

British PM, David Cameron

Just like Dr Kwame Nkrumah foremost African Leader had said two decades ago ‘Aids from our former colonial masters serve as apron strings that continue to tie us and keep us at their whims and caprices, which is a new form of colonialism’.

That quote seems justified, because with the aids that have flowed from the United Kingdom, United States, and France to former Colonies in Africa, the various aids ranging from development, health, education and infrastructure have unfortunately not facilitated the purpose intended for either due to corruption and mismanagement.

So the recent report that millions of pounds aid sent from the United Kingdom meant to serve as a catalyst for instrumental education in Nigeria, has failed to achieve the objective and purpose it was released an investigative agency revealed.

About 102million pounds have been spent so far in 10 Nigerian States and the impact of improving pupil learning in basic education in the country has not been actualized because the ‘out of school’ children outcomes has become increasingly alarming especially in 9 of the 10 States supported by the aid.

The Independent Commission or Aid Impact stated that the assistance was being faced with the challenge of shortage of teaching personnel and collaborative efforts from the States, which served as gridlocks to proper implementation of the aid programme.

In retrospect Last year Prime Minister David Cameron when he attended the Lagos Business School Leadership forum pledged more aid assistance for Nigeria, but it can be recalled also three years ago that Governor Fashola during the visit of the German President stressed that Nigeria did not need ‘Aids’ but more of ‘Partnerships’ to experience development and growth.

The Department for International Development (Dfid) education programme has been going through the strains of the needed development of the Education system in Nigeria, due to Poor Infrastructure and Issues of State Government Funding.

A Dfid spokesperson stated that ‘ The report of the ICAI was inconclusive as it visited 1% of the schools, most were in one state in Nigeria and did not take into cognisance and they did not capture the progress of the Initiative’.

With these varying report, it may be time for the British Government to consider effective collaboration and partnership with the Nigerian Government on their funding plans for the Education, because it is not just releasing aid, but engaging the leadership in government to take responsibility.