By Habeeb Ibrahim
More than 200 pupils of LEA Primary School in Gofidna Community, Jiwa Ward, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), are attending classes in poor conditions, despite billions of naira reportedly remaining unspent in education funds allocated to the Federal Capital Territory.
The situation has raised questions about the utilisation of public education funds, particularly after MonitNG, an agency monitoring governance issues, drew attention to the condition of the school.
According to the agency, more than 211 pupils are learning in classrooms without desks, chairs, doors and ceilings, forcing some of them to sit on bare floors and mats during lessons.
MonitNG cited reported figures from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), which indicated that the FCT has N5.67 billion in unspent education funds out of N246 billion allocated across the country.
The agency questioned why the available funds had not translated into improved learning facilities for children in communities such as Gofidna.
It also raised concerns about the government’s spending priorities, contrasting the condition of the school with the construction of multi-billion-naira residences for judges in the FCT.
MonitNG called on the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, the AMAC Chairman, UBEC and the FCT Education Secretariat to urgently intervene.
It specifically requested the provision of desks and chairs, rehabilitation of the classrooms and installation of basic facilities to provide a suitable learning environment for the pupils.
The agency said children in the community should not be denied access to decent educational facilities because of where they live.
It further urged the relevant authorities to look beyond the city centre and address infrastructure challenges in public schools across underserved communities.
As of the time of filing this report, the FCT Administration, Wike, AMAC Council, UBEC and the FCT Education Secretariat had yet to respond to the concerns raised.
The situation has renewed concerns over the management of education funds and the state of public primary school infrastructure in Nigeria’s capital.
