Tinubu, Akande Laud Independent Newspapers, Seek Sustained Free Education Legacy

President Bola Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande have commended Independent Newspapers Limited, publishers of Daily Independent, Saturday Independent and Sunday Independent, for celebrating 70 years of Universal Basic Education (UBE) in Nigeria — a milestone rooted in the free education policy launched in 1955.

Speaking through Aisha Garba, the executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), President Tinubu said the recognition of UBE by The Independent honoured the bold vision of Nigeria’s founding fathers who saw education as the key to social transformation.

He said, “Tonight, through Independent Newspapers, we honour that bold vision of free education. Free education has served as a ladder for families, and that torch must not dim.

“It is the duty of every government to renew that vision — to know that education is the right of every child. Our Renewed Hope Agenda is not just a slogan but a vision to make education a tool for national renewal.

“We honour the foresight of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Sir Ahmadu Bello, and we declare that this generation will finish what they began.”

Tinubu stressed that education must move from aspiration to reality for every Nigerian child, describing it as both a social obligation and a national security imperative.

He added, “If we rescue this generation through education, they will become the drivers of opportunity tomorrow.

“Our youths are our greatest assets. We cannot stand by while our children remain out of school. We must guarantee access to learning, because anything less would make the sacrifice of 70 years ago worth nothing.”

In his remarks, former Osun State governor and founding national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, applauded Independent Newspapers Limited for marking the milestone and keeping the history of UBE alive.

Akande, one of the pioneering teachers of the 1955 education era, lamented that the progress of the Universal Basic Education system was derailed by the military era.

“It’s unfortunate that the progress of UBE was stunted and bastardised by the military government,” he said.

“Before the military imposed themselves as the government of Nigeria, most educational institutions were diligently managed by the regions. The regions developed and implemented their own educational policies, including scholarships and free education programmes.

“Suddenly, these institutions of learning were forcefully taken over by the military in 1976 and handed to new structures without the experience to manage them. That marked the beginning of the decay in education infrastructure and teaching methodology,” he stated.

He thanked Independent Newspapers for reminding Nigerians of the enduring value of free education.

“Universal Basic Education remains the best foundation, and free education remains the best,” Akande said.