Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, yesterday, admitted that he has failed in his assignment as Minister of Education.

This is as he regretted his inability to resolve several challenges in the sector despite serving as longest minister in the sector.

However, various stakeholders have reacted differently to the statement. While some said he should resign “honourably”, others suggested that he should remain in office and bring “more competent” people around him and try the little he can within the limited available time to fix the system, at least, above where he met it in 2015 when he took charge.

Adamu spoke at the 66th National Council on Education (NCE) in Abuja.

“Most of our policies at the federal level pulled children out of the street back to the school, but evidently, the actions of the states’ governments are pushing the children back to the streets. Few days ago, someone called my attention to the fact that I am the longest serving Minister of Education in Nigeria. Sincerely speaking, it never occurred to me and I never cared whether I was the longest or shortest serving minister.

“My worry was that I came to office as Minister of Education seven years ago to tackle the myriad of issues confronting the education system, particularly the issue of out-of-school children. But unfortunately, I failed to achieve all these expectations. For seven years, I was unable to tackle the issue of out-of-school children and several other challenges in the education sector. However, there are so many factors that contributed to that failure, but the key one, probably, has to do with education commissioners in the states.”

Reacting, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) said that the statement attributed to the minister confirmed that he is a misfit to handle such sensitive position.

ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, described the minister as a honest man to have publicly admitted that he has failed as Minister of education in the past seven years.

He said: “Not only the Minister of Education has failed. The entire education system has failed, ranging from the primary to tertiary system. However, the decision as regards next step is purely for him to make. I can’t suggest that he resign or stay put. He should search his conscience and know what to do next.”

Former national treasurer of the union, Ademola Aremu, said the people ruling the country are misfits, hence cannot find solutions to ordinary problems confronting the country.

“The people ruling us are misfits. It is a shame that the education minister would admit he failed. I am weeping for this country.”

Aremu, who is a lecturer at the University of Ibadan, said the honorable thing for the minister to do, is resign his appointment immediately.

He added: “What is he waiting for? He should resign and afterward Mr. President should also sack him. He admitted failure as the education minister. He should resign and be sacked too.

“His admittance that ASUU’s prolonged strike is a major part of his failure indicates that the union was right in its struggle to better public universities.”

In his reaction, National President, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Anderson Ezeibe, said Adamu’s statement was based on his assessment. “He knows the target he set for himself.The choice is left for him to resign. There can be improvement within the shortest time left of him in the office. He still has the chance to redeem the situation before the end of this administration. His admittance of failure is purely based on his self assessment.”

Former chairman, Senior Stuff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Oriwaye Adefolalu, said the education minister admittance of failure is a self condemnation hence, he should be sacked.

“I doubt if the minister knew the gravity of his statement. His failure in doing the needful as a Minister of Education has sent hundreds of innocent souls to their early graves. Sad to write that his offence is more than the offense of coup d’etat.

“Those that are calling on him to resign his appointment as a minister are just unnecessarily lenient to his course, sacking is much appropriate.”

A parent Segun Ogunsola, who said his son is a 200-level student of one of the public universities  suggested that the entire cabinet beginning from President Muhammadu Buhari should resign and give way to new set of political leaders because they have failed Nigerians woefully when it comes to the promises they made to Nigerians that earned their trust and confidence in 2015.

“I was surprised that a serving minister in this government could openly admit that he failed. This is strange in our governance system and I commend him for that. It was this same minister, few months ago that admitted that they failed as regards issues concerning resolution of ASUU dispute.

“However, there is no doubt that the minister has failed woefully as regard the management of our education system. If you check the indices, you will agree that he has failed. There are several other failed ministers in the cabinet, just that he publicly admitted his failure.”

Sun