Former National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen Aliyu Gusau, has decried the lack of budget for books in Nigeria’s educational sector.

He made the lamentation Wednesday in his introductory remarks while presenting 15,000 books donated to 37 tertiary and secondary schools across the country by his foundation, Gusau Institute in Kaduna.

Gusau observed that such development has a negative knock-on effect on tertiary education, stressing that the problem needs to be addressed.

“Simply put, there is no, or very little, left in the budget to books. This has a negative knock-on effect on tertiary education and the problem needs to be addressed,” he said.

He said the Nigeria’s educational system is suffering from deteriorating quality and insufficient investment to keep pace with the country’s growing school-age population.

Represented by Dr Haroun Adamu, Chairman, Board of Directors, Nagarta Radio, Gen. Gusau, who doubles as the patron and founder of the foundation, said the exponential growth in population has put immense pressure on Nigeria’s resources “and on already overstretched public service and infrastructure.”

“With children under 15 years of age accounting for about 45%of the country’s population, the burden on education has become overwhelming. It is almost impossible to ensure quality education and satisfactory learning achievement when resources have to be spread so thinly across a growing number of students,” he added.

He said his institute would step in and lend a helping hand by distributing much-needed books, “even though the number might seems like a drop in the ocean.”

The recipients included Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State University (KASU), University of Jos, Federal University Gusau, Kaduna Polytechnic, Federal College of Education, Zaria, Government Day Secondary School, Katsina, Hammawa Primary Schools, Yola and Musa Shehu Yar’Adua Center, Abuja, among others.

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