A Federal Judge sitting in Abuja, Hon Justice J.I. Tsoho, on Wednesday declared that every Nigerian child has the constitutional right to free and compulsory primary education, and free junior secondary education. The court further declared that the federal and state governments have constitutional duties to provide adequate fund for the said free and compulsory education. It held that any failure by any government to fund free primary and junior secondary education will constitute a breach of the Nigerian Constitution.
The court stated that even though the right to free education in section 18(3)(a) of the Constitution was ordinarily not enforceable being in chapter 2 of the Constitution, by the National Assembly enacting the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act, of 2004, the Act has made that provision of the constitution an enforceable right.
The judgment was delivered in a suit filed by the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) against the Federal Ministry of Education and the Attorney General of the Federation. LEDAP in the suit had asked the court to determine whether by the combined effect of section 18(3)(a) of the 1999 Constitution and section 2 (1) of the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act, (UBE) 2004, the right to free and compulsory primary education and free junior secondary education for all qualified Nigerian citizens are enforceable rights in Nigeria. The NGO also asked the court to determine whether the Federal and State governments are under constitutional obligation to provide financial and institutional resources for free, compulsory and universal primary education and free junior secondary education for all Nigerian citizen. LEDAP equally wanted the court to rule on whether failure by any government to adopt and implement free, compulsory and universal primary education and free junior secondary education amounts to a breach of constitutional obligation of the government in accordance with its duty and responsibility under section 13 of the Constitution.
The court answered all the questions raised by the plaintiff in the affirmative. It said that in doing so, it relied on the Supreme Court decision in Attorney General of Ondo State & Others vs. Attorney General of the Federation (2002) 9 NWLR (Pt. 772) 222, where it was held that the provisions of Chapter 2 of the Constitution, even though they are not enforceable by virtue of section 6(6)(b) of the constitution, can be made enforceable or justiciable by legislation. Thus, following this decision of the Supreme Court, Justice Tsoho held that by enacting the UBE Act, the National Assemble has made the right to free and compulsory primary and free junior secondary education contained in Chapter 2 an enforceable or justiciable right, the court ruled.
Reacting to the judgment, the lead counsel to LEDAP, Mr. Chino Obiagwu, said: “The court has today given life and hope to over 28 million Nigerian children who are currently out of primary and junior secondary school or who are at risk of being withdrawn from school because of the inability of their parents or guardians to pay the tuition fees and school expenses, or who are withdrawn from school so that they can be given out in early marriage or be sent to the streets to hawk or beg for alms. By this judgment, any child not enrolled in school or who is withdrawn from school can exercise his or her constitutional rights against the parent or guardian or against the government.”
On the possible difficulties of the governments to fully fund free primary and junior secondary education in the country because of the current economic recession, Mr. Obiagwu said that the UBE Act makes very clear provisions on how free education will be funded. He added that part of the fund for free primary education has been provided under the Federal Government’s UBE Fund to the state governments since 2009, but that most of the funds are not properly utilised for the purpose they are meant. It is now time for every government to close all fiscal leakages and reduce the size and cost of government in order to save money to meet the basic constitutional obligations of primary and junior secondary education, Mr. Obiagwu said.
Also reacting to the judgment, Mr. Ray Onyegu, Executive Director of Social Economic Rights Initiative (SERI), described it as being long overdue. He noted that the right of education is a right of all Nigerian children, adding that “government cannot give any excuse of lack of fund because primary education should be the priority of any government in the 21st century.”
Also reacting to the judgement, LEDAP Executive Director Adaobi Egboka, said: “LEDAP welcomes this laudable judgment and urges the federal and State Governments to start its implementation without any delay.”
A positive move towards eradicating poverty and illiteracy. Moreso as socio-political reasoning now trend in Nigeria in relation to various societal ills and disturbance stemming from a lack of basic education and its application to common sense, otherwise many of the setbacks Nigeria continues to experience would have been avoided over the years. A mis-interpretation of legislation will naturally have unintended repercussions, and this goes unequivocally that politicians,in their attempt to pass laws without going ‘holistic’ in its fundamental translation, tend to ‘only scratch the surface’ of pertinent legislation, which remain ambiguous and self defeating. Geo-politically, it’s made obvious that where there is substantially educated populace, major disturbances attributable to lack of education is reduced while nation-wide discomfort tends to persist in areas where the lack is deep-seated, with abject socio-economic disruptions. In western nations, eg; UK, the National Assistance Act (promulgated in 1948) continues to be an effective law in Europe, offering support to all world citizens with access to the shores of member states – where matters such as ‘refugee placement’, immigration, asylum, social inclusion, citizenship, etc, emanated from. This Act guides member countries to offer shelter, safety, food, health, education, and other primary needs to all that manage to enter their borders, as a matter of priority. Similarly in Nigeria, basic education up to secondary level should be part of standardised welfare provision for all youths as they grow towards teenage years when they are able to determine what they wish to undertake towards adulthood – with such thinking, we wouldn’t have seen a rise in rampant Almajiris or even endemic interest in Boko haram, kidnapping, other serious crimes or over-population. The new incentive of free school meals is a great innovation towards alleviating poverty and providing national better health and life-style conditions, however, there should be more to offer to the underprivileged so as to draw them into basic education, consequently re-shaping their short-term outlook in life. Such fundamental meeting of normative needs works a long way to reconstruct the future of Nigeria’s teeming youths which will provide them with the tools towards autonomy, self reliance and choice. Coming from a member of the judiciary, this is a clarion call for politicians to take a step back and review their collective positions/determination, how they will actualise the process through thorough, comprehensive and holistic legislative deliberations.