By chance, I stumbled on the on-going debate on the role of education in the 21st century with special focus on Bornu State. The debate emanated from the recent presentation in Abuja by the National Population Commission (NPC) during the launch of the 2010 Nigeria Education Data Survey (NEDS) and the Digest of Education Statistics 2006-2010 by Chief Sama'ila Makama, the NPC chairman.
The survey showed a wide gap in education between the Northern states and the rest of the country. According to Makama, while the South-West parades 73.6 per cent, the South-South 71.9 per cent, the South-East 74.1 percent as literacy level, the North-West boasts of only 33.8 per cent, North-East 33.9 per cent and North Central 54.9 per cent. According to him: "There is greater disparity among states in the North-East and
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