The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu has blamed River State Governor Nysome Wike for the controversy over Christian Religion Knowledge (CRK) and Islamic Religion Knowledge (IRK) subjects in schools.
The minister disclosed that the controversy started when Wike was the minister of education under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Adamu disclosed this while addressing participants on policy synergy at the Progressive Governors Forum in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State.
He expressed concern about the reports that he started the policy to turn the country to an Islamic state.
The minister said that on assumption of office, his team of advisers canceled the formulated policy on IRK and CRK to make them a single subject under the civic education.
He added that he considered it appropriate to implement the policy instead of merging CRK/IRK to be thought as a single subject in the secondary school.
Adamu explained that N4.4trillion is needed in the country to reverse the collapsing education sector, adding that, 12.4million children are currently out of the school, especially in the northeast where Boko Haram has been operating.
The minister, who attributed the falling standard of education to the insurgency that has been rocking some parts of the north, urged the governors to support the ministry’s strategic plan initiated by the Federal Government.
He also disclosed that about N42 billion is available to be disbursed for the development of the sector.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbe has disclosed that Nigeria would stop importing rice at the end of this year.
He said, this followed the Federal Government’s support for making food available in the country, under the “Take Lives to Rural Area” policy.
Ogbe said 200 rice mills would be stored from now to December, adding that, with the diversification policy from oil and gas sector to agriculture, the country would stop depending on oil by 2030.
