A White Elephant Project And The Elephant In The Room -By Ike Willie-Nwobu

In the past few days, as part of President Tinubu’s two years anniversary in office, the Federal Capital Territory led by its Minister, Nyesom Wike painted news media red with announcement that the president will commission a handful of landmark projects. The announcement about the commissioning was ostensibly to show that the administration of president Tinubu has not rested on its laurels in two years.

On 10th June 2025, the Federal Capital Territory was agog as the president commissioned the renovated Abuja International Conference center. The cost of the renovation was put at 39 billion naira. It was also given a new name: Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Center.

The occasion, as many others, was also used to launch political invectives at the camps of opposition politicians while further wooing those who may be planning to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Critics of the current administration have pointed out that renovating the International Conference Center and renaming after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it is yet another bid to flatter his paymasters and power brokers as the 2027 general elections beckon.

While the commissioning took place just a few days before June 12 which commemorated Nigeria’s democracy day, many Nigerians have criticized the renovation as another white elephant project which ignores the elephant in the room namely that public primary school pupils within the Federal Capital Territory have not attended school for more than three months now. The facts present how fragile the kind of future Nigeria is bracing up for really is.

As officious government employees have fallen over themselves to launder the image of an administration that has left much to be desired, pupils in public primary schools within the FCT close in on three months at home with their schools shut by teachers striking over wages.
If anyone needs to know where the priorities lie for the current administration, it is there that they should look.

For years now, episodic strike actions from primary school teachers within the FCT have had the effect of shutting primary schools and leaving children struck at home, losing valuable school time and proving a handful for overwhelmed and overworked parents.

These strike actions, and indeed anything else, that affect children who only recently started going to school strike at the foundation and, of course, the future. It is beyond scandalous that the education of Nigeria’s youngest is interrupted by anything at all. Beyond the incalculable loss of irreplaceable school hours, it has the effect of interrupting human capital development. Worse still, the disruption adds to Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis. There can be no mistake about it. It is. A full-blown crisis, one that would have major consequences going forward.

No self-respecting country which takes its development seriously will allow its youngest children wallow at home for any length of time because their teachers are on strike. Such moves are simply too costly and risky.

It telling of the character and priorities of those who govern Nigeria that two years to the 2027 general elections, all they seem to think about or do for that matter is scheme towards winning the election. As far as they are concerned, anything that is of no consequence of their chances in 2027 can burn.

While they hold fast to their inclination to dereliction, primary school pupils loiter at home and smother the coals of Nigeria’s future.

Ike Willie-Nwobu,
Ikewilly9@gmail.com