What is the mandate of a Nigerian Minister of Education? It is essentially to superintend educational provisions and be the chief harnesser of the power of education for national development. In a federal system, he sits atop the apparatus for national policy formulation and standards setting. The enforcement of standards in collaboration with federal and state-level actors is also part of his or her charge. As chairman of the National Council on Education with state commissioners of education as members, the minister wields the power of captain of the education ship, steering it into shores that can be rocky or calm. In November 2015, Malam Adamu Adamu received the baton from Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, stepping into the track as Nigeria’s 46th Minister of Education since independence in 1960. After three plus years of “ministering”, a behind-the-scene assessment of his stewardship shows several interesting milestones and some unfinished businesses.
We open these excerpts of…
