Nigeria, Nov. 28 -- The Federal High Court in Lagos has declared that the federal 36 state governments as well the authorities of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are legally obligated to provide free, compulsory, and universal basic education to all children of primary and junior secondary school age.

Delivering the judgement on 9 October, the judge, D.E. Osiagor, held that under Section 11(2) of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act, all three tiers of government have a binding statutory duty to ensure basic education nationwide.

He clarified, however, that states' decision to access the federal government's matching grants for basic education "remains discretionary."

A certified true copy of the judgement, shared with PREMIUM T...