Founder of Slum2School Africa, Orondaam Otto, has called for urgent and deliberate education reforms to enable Nigeria’s young population to reach its full potential and compete effectively on the global stage.
Otto made the call while delivering a Convocation Lecture at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), where he stressed that Nigeria can only achieve a true demographic dividend when its citizens are educated, healthy, and productively employed. He explained that a demographic dividend—when a country’s working-age population exceeds its dependent population—is not automatic, but attainable through intentional policy choices, particularly in education.
Speaking on the theme “Maximising Nigeria’s Demographic Dividend Through Urgent Education Reform for Global Competitiveness in the 21st Century,” Otto noted that global competitiveness now requires Nigeria to educate its children not just for local survival, but for international relevance.
According to him, every child educated in Nigeria is effectively competing with peers across the world, making competence, rather than titles, the true measure of success. He warned that Nigeria’s growing population could either become its greatest strength or a source of instability, depending on how the education system is structured.
To harness the country’s youthful population for national prosperity, Otto proposed a legally backed national education vision. Key recommendations include 15 years of compulsory education, transforming schools into centres of excellence, repositioning teaching as a top-tier profession, and standardising the national curriculum.
He concluded by emphasising that sustained education reform remains critical to Nigeria’s long-term economic growth, social stability, and global competitiveness.
