The federal government has launched the Accelerated Basic Education (ABE) programme which aims to mobilize nearly 80 million underserved young non-literate Nigerians and adults who are still outside the reach of basic literacy.
According to the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Ahmad, the launch of the programme codenamed ABE, is to aggressively address the situation, with the aim to meet non-literate youths and adults wherever they are in the six geopolitical zones of the country without compromising quality or relevance.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its 2022 report stated that nearly 80 million Nigerians who constitute 31% of Nigeria's estimated 250 million population are non-literate.
The minister, who was represented by her Special Assistant Technical, Dr Claris Ujam, unveiled the new programme while speaking at a one-day National Stakeholders Engagement Meeting on Youth and Adult Literacy through Accelerated Basic Education in Abuja on Wednesday, said the Accelerated Basic Education programme has been designed to provide inclusive, adaptable, and high-impact literacy interventions that will meet learners wherever they are without compromising quality or relevance.
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According to her: "Your presence here today is a resounding affirmation of our collective resolve to reshape Nigeria's educational future, especially for our underserved youth and adult populations. As you are well aware, education forms the bedrock of every prosperous and inclusive society. Yet far too many of Nigeria's millions - youths and adults--still remain outside the reach of basic literacy. This silent crisis suppresses individual potential and stalls national progress".
She said the mission of President Bola Tinubu's government is to craft pathways of hope, dignity, and opportunity through an instrument that rejects age, geography and circumstances as barriers to learning.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Coordinator of the workshop and Director Literacy and Development at the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education, Dr John Edeh said the stakeholders meeting was a strategic moment for reflection, collaboration, and decisive action.
He said, "we are here because we recognize a pressing challenge: millions of young Nigerians remain outside the formal education system. Whether due to poverty, early school leaving, displacement, or other socio-economic barriers, these youths deserve a second chance."
Edeh said the Adult and Non-Formal Education sector was uniquely positioned to meet the diverse learning needs of out-of-school children and youths through flexible, community-based, and learner-centered approaches, including literacy and foundational education, life skills and vocational training, digital education and innovation, as well as civic engagement and empowerment.
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Edeh called on community leaders, donors, youth advocates, and programme implementers to collaborate with the Commission to make education accessible to the marginalised. "All hands should be on deck to create a safe, inclusive, and gender-sensitive learning environments to enable the Commission to engage the youth not just as learners, but as co-creators of solutions", Edeh said.
