Tinubu Highlights Nigeria’s Challenges at G20 Summit, Laments Struggles with Education and Food Security

At the recent G20 summit in Brazil, President Bola Tinubu candidly addressed global leaders about the pressing socio-economic issues facing Nigeria, acknowledging that many challenges remain unresolved under his administration.

Among the issues highlighted, Tinubu expressed frustration over the inability to provide food for schoolchildren to help them focus in class. This is a significant problem, especially in the context of the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), which was launched by the previous administration. While the initiative aimed to provide free meals to children in public primary schools, it faced corruption and mismanagement, leading to its suspension. A 2020 report by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) revealed that over N2.67 billion earmarked for the program was misappropriated into private accounts.

In his speech, Tinubu acknowledged the broader socio-economic difficulties Nigeria faces, citing insecurity, climate change, and protectionism as major barriers. “In Africa, we have terrorism challenges, insecurity challenges, that are preventing farmers from going to their farms. We have problems in Sudan, displacing people. We have climate change, flooding, destroying crops,” he said. He also pointed to the issue of out-of-school children and the financial struggles to provide free education and meals to keep children engaged in learning.

“It’s very important to make it clear and louder here,” Tinubu emphasized, drawing attention to the severity of the problems confronting Nigeria.