The Attorney General of the Federation, the Nigerian Education Minister, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the attorneys general of the 36 states of the federation, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, have all been sued over the education of Nigerian children.
They were sued by human rights lawyer Femi Falana and another lawyer.
Falana cited a recent UNICEF report in an affidavit presented before the court, which said that at least 20.2 million children are out of school.
According to UNICEF, this is the world’s highest number.
The applicants took the case to the Federal High Court in Lagos, where they sought an order directing the 4th-40th respondents to pay the counterpart funds in order to access the matching grant of N68 billion in the Universal Basic Education Fund Account and to report compliance with the court order within 30 days of the judgment’s delivery.
Falana further requests that the court issue an order directing the defendants to pay the counterpart money in order to access the matching grant in the Universal Basic Education money account as soon as it becomes due.
The lawyers also request that the court declare that the respondents are legally obligated to provide free, compulsory, and universal basic education to all Nigerian children of primary and junior secondary school age under Section 2(1) of the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.