OPINION: Palaces For Politicians, Ruins For Pupils

By Adesina Quadri Ademola

From the neglected ruins of CAC Grammar School, Adesola in Ibadan, Oyo State, to the collapsing structures of L.G.E.A. Primary School, Ganuwa in Giwa LGA, Kaduna State, one thing is painfully clear Nigeria’s children are being failed by the very systems meant to secure their future.

These are not isolated cases. They are not unfortunate anomalies. They are two shameful examples of a national crisis: public education is crumbling beneath layers of broken promises, inflated budgets, and misplaced priorities.

Let’s start with Oyo State.

At CAC Grammar School, Adesola, a block of classrooms destroyed by a windstorm years ago still lies in ruins. No roof. No windows. No desks. Pupils are now forced into overcrowded classrooms, sitting on bare floors in stifling conditions. And this is happening in the same state where ₦58.2 billion was allocated to education in 2023, ₦90.6 billion in 2024, and ₦145.3 billion proposed for 2025. Meanwhile, the government plans to spend ₦63 billion on renovating the Government House. Priorities?

Now, let’s shift north to Kaduna.

At L.G.E.A. Primary School in Ganuwa, over 196 pupils are learning in similarly degrading conditions.

One classroom block has fully collapsed, while the remaining structures are unsafe and furniture-less.

Despite three consecutive years of billion-naira budgets — ₦107.72 billion in 2023, ₦115.4 billion in 2024, and a whopping ₦206.6 billion in 2025, this school remains untouched, abandoned by both the state and local governments.

Let’s be honest with ourselves:
If billions are being budgeted for education and schools like these are still in ruins, then those budgets are either not being implemented or are being misdirected.

This is not just a matter of poor infrastructure, it is a question of leadership, accountability, and political will.

Why should a child in Ibadan or Ganuwa learn on a bare floor, while government houses are being upgraded and PR campaigns about educational transformation are being broadcast across the airwaves?

We are not asking for luxury. We are demanding basic dignity; for a child to sit on a chair, under a roof, and receive quality learning in safety.

To Governor Seyi Makinde and Governor Uba Sani, this is a defining moment. The spotlight is now on your administrations — not in the boardrooms, but on the bare floors of those classrooms. These children are not invisible. Their suffering is not silent. Civic groups, journalists, and students are watching. And history is recording.

You both have the opportunity to act decisively:

Rebuild those schools.

Equip them with basic learning materials.

Make rural education a priority, not a political talking point.

Failure to act will not just erode public trust — it will further deepen the gap between government promises and grassroots reality.

And to the Nigerian people—parents, unions, activists, and community leaders-this is not the time for silence. We must demand more. We must hold leadership accountable.

Because when a nation builds palaces for the powerful and leaves its children in ruins, that nation is not on a path to progress. It is on a path to collapse.

The children of Adesola and Ganuwa are not asking for charity.

They are asking for what is rightfully theirs; the right to learn with dignity.

And until that right is fulfilled, no government can truly claim to be working.