LAGOS, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's Minister of Education Adamu Adamu Thursday warned the country of its alarming illiteracy rate, put at up to 75 million out of a population of more than 180 million, representing a rate of around 41 percent.
Speaking in northern Kebbi State during a courtesy call on Governor Atiku Bagudu, the minister described the figure as unbecoming and high, considering the country's population.
The minister led delegates to the state for a two-day International Literacy Day conference organized by the National Commission for Mass Education.
"Education is the bedrock of any country's development and any country that does not educate its populace is bound to fail," he added.
"Unfortunately, in Nigeria we have a very large population of illiterates; the illiterates figure, considering our population, is unbecoming," he said.
Adamu said the federal government was targeting educating out-of-school children, noting that this was part of its strategic plan to reduce the number of illiterates in the country.
On his part, Governor Bagudu attributed the high illiteracy rate in northern Nigeria to Boko Haram insurgency, saying that many of the sect's followers only knew the Quran but could not interpret and digest its meanings.
