Says data starting to play critical role in decision-making
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
Former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, has described the ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s education sector under the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, as potentially transformative, saying the increasing reliance on data-driven policymaking could reshape the country’s future.
Chidoka, in a reflection following the National Stakeholders Meeting on the National Education Data Infrastructure held recently in Abuja, argued that education should rank above every other infrastructure priority because of its direct impact on human development.
“Roads can wait. Buildings can wait. Airports can wait. Education cannot,” he stated, warning that every year of policy failure permanently affects millions of Nigerian children who are already outside the school system.
In a note posted on his social media handles, Chidoka explained that Nigeria’s estimated 15 million out-of-school children represent a national emergency, stressing that each passing year narrows the chances of returning many of them to classrooms.
Chidoka, an ex-Corp Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) described the education data initiative unveiled by the Federal Ministry of Education as one of the most consequential national infrastructure projects currently underway in the country.
He explained that the Nigeria Education Management Information System, developed by Ernst & Young, provided comprehensive and accessible education data from all states, covering enrolment figures, school infrastructure and teacher-student ratios.
According to him, the system simplifies comparison of education indicators across the country and offers policymakers credible evidence needed for decision-making. Chidoka said two key data points particularly stood out during the meeting.
The first, he explained, was the sharp decline between primary school enrolment and junior secondary school enrolment, which raised concerns about the large number of children disappearing from the education system between Primary Six and JSS One.
He added that another revealing statistic was the ratio between first-time Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) candidates and repeat candidates, which exposed the scale of admission bottlenecks facing Nigerian youths seeking tertiary education.
According to Chidoka, the data helped him better understand the rationale behind ongoing policy reforms by the education ministry aimed at easing access to higher education.
“Too many qualified young Nigerians are queuing behind the same narrow gate, year after year. Suddenly, the minister’s policy direction on easing admission bottlenecks, which I had instinctively questioned, began to make sense to me,” he added.
The former minister said the emergence of credible, real-time education data was beginning to change governance within the sector, replacing assumptions and arguments with measurable evidence.
“That is the power of credible, real-time data. It does not merely inform policy; it humbles assumptions,” he stated.
Chidoka also disclosed that the Nigeria Research and Education Network (NgREN), where he is contributing efforts, would provide connectivity and digital services to tertiary institutions this year, with plans to extend similar infrastructure to secondary schools from 2027.
He noted that although developments in the education sector may not yet dominate public discourse, a quiet transformation was taking shape.
“What is happening in education may not yet dominate the headlines, but something important is taking shape quietly beneath the surface. Evidence is beginning to replace assertion. Data is starting to shape decisions,” he said.
Chidoka urged other sectors of government to embrace evidence-based governance, highlighting the ‘mind-boggling’ quantum of data, made easy to understand, compare, and drive policy.