The Federal Government has directed the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education to strengthen its operations, improve literacy data collection and expand learning opportunities for youths and adults across the country.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, gave the directive on Friday in Abuja at a press conference to commemorate the 2026 International Literacy Day.
The day was commemorated under the theme, “Literacy for People, the Planet and Prosperity.”
Ahmad said the restoration of NMEC’s autonomy was a major step towards improving the planning, coordination and delivery of mass literacy, adult and non-formal education programmes.
She said the commission was being repositioned to effectively discharge its mandate, adding that the government was rehabilitating facilities at the National Centre for Adult Education in Kano, developing infrastructure nationwide and working towards providing NMEC with a permanent headquarters.
The minister said the activation of learning centres across the country, with NMEC staff serving as facilitators, would help provide accessible literacy opportunities for youths and adults who were unable to benefit from formal education.
She added that the government was equipping vocational training workshops and developing NMEC’s Kano regional office as a centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
According to her, the initiative would provide learners with access to standardised vocational training while equipping them with practical skills.
Ahmad further disclosed that the government was strengthening teachers’ capacity through digitised training linked to artificial intelligence.
She said the training platforms were being designed to work on basic Android phones to ensure that teachers in both rural and urban communities were not disadvantaged by their locations.
The minister, however, challenged NMEC’s leadership to be more proactive and regularly communicate its activities to the public.
She urged the commission to operate with clear targets and key deliverables, stressing that its programmes must be visible to stakeholders and the media.
Ahmad also called on state and local governments, development partners, civil society organisations, traditional and religious institutions, the private sector, community leaders and the media to support literacy initiatives.
Earlier, the Head of the Education Sector at UNESCO, Mr Oladeji Adeyemi, said literacy had gone beyond the ability to read and write.
Adeyemi said literacy influenced how people understood information, made decisions, understood their rights and participated in society.
He said UNESCO estimated that at least 739 million adults globally still lacked basic literacy skills, while more than 88 percent of the world’s adult population could now read and write.
He reaffirmed UNESCO’s commitment to working with Nigeria and other member states to promote literacy, sustainable development and shared prosperity.
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The Executive Secretary of NMEC, Prof. Muhammed Shuni, said the commission had commenced the collection of accurate literacy data, noting that the existing data dated back to 2010.
Shuni said the exercise was necessary to provide reliable information for planning and evaluating literacy interventions.
He said UNESCO Institute for Statistics data for 2024 showed that 67.6 percent of Nigerians aged between 25 and 64 were literate, while the literacy rate among those aged 15 to 24 stood at 81.4 percent.
He said the figures would be updated as the new data collection exercise progressed.
The executive secretary added that NMEC would continue to work with relevant stakeholders to ensure that no Nigerian was left behind in the drive towards a literate, skilled and prosperous nation.
