Aisha Yesufu warns of looming collapse in FCT public schools

Education

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — Nigerian activist and advocate for good governance, Aisha Yesufu, has raised alarm over the state of public schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), warning that the system is on the brink of collapse unless urgent government action is taken.

Yesufu, a prominent campaigner for the release of the Chibok Girls, said teachers do not abandon classrooms willingly but are often forced to act when pushed to the wall. “When teachers are pushed to the wall, what suffers first is not government pride, it is the future of children,” she stated.

She cited troubling reports from the FCT Nigeria Union of Teachers, noting that a committee report concluded in August 2025 has yet to be released or implemented. Teachers also complain of unresolved entitlements and promotions stalled by bureaucracy. The union has threatened to withdraw its services from 20 April 2026 if these issues remain unaddressed.

Yesufu, in a statement today, stressed that the consequences of a shutdown would be borne by children, not officials. “When classrooms are shut, it is the child in Primary 1 trying to learn how to read, the girl who dreams of becoming a doctor, and the boy who sees education as his only ladder out of poverty,” she said.

She accused FCT Minister Nyesom Wike of silence in the face of the crisis, urging authorities to release the report, implement agreements, and resolve promotion bottlenecks. “Leadership is about stepping in before collapse becomes reality,” she added.

Yesufu described governance over empty classrooms as “useless” and warned that history would not be kind to leaders who remain silent when urgent action is required. “Act now, before classrooms go silent,” she concluded.