Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila says Nigeria has spent ₦620 on education.
Although he didn’t give a time frame of the expenditure, the lawmaker said the House was ready to partner with stakeholders to reposition the sector.
He spoke on Thursday while hosting the Finland Ambassador to Nigeria, Jyrki Pulkkinen.
Pulkkinen had informed the Speaker about the visit of his country’s House Committee on Finance to Nigeria next month.
He disclosed that Finland was looking at having an economic engagement with Nigeria.
Gbajabiamila said, “Finland is known for its education, the secret of how you do it, only you know but we are glad you are willing to share with Nigeria.
“We are taking steps to catapult Nigeria into somewhere up there. So, we will need your hands of friendship to help us realise this since you are well experienced and have proven success in that area.
“We spent about N620b on education in Nigeria, though quite a hefty sum, but still short of the recommendations of the United Nations (UN) for developing countries of between 15-20 per cent.
“So, we are not there yet but as a parliament, we believe that the world has changed. Beyond government-to-government diplomacy, there’s also legislative diplomacy, a back-channel work between two legislatures.”
Gbajabiamila expressed delight at the forthcoming visit by the Finnish Finance Committee and would be very happy to engage them.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK