After pocketing $2 million bribe to reject the proposed five per cent for host communities during the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, Senate President Ahmad Lawan has blamed Nigeria’s poor standard of education for worsening insecurity in the country.

Mr Lawan made this assertion at the eighth matriculation of post-graduate students of the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILDS)/University of Benin for the 2020/2021 academic session on Monday in Abuja.

Represented by Senator Degi Biobarakuma, Mr Lawan listed insecurity, rising criminality, anti-social behaviour and unemployment as problems facing the education sector.

“You are well aware of some of the challenges and deficits in this sector, including limited funding, lack of infrastructure and teaching aids, poorly-trained personnel and low level of commitment, among several others.

“These have adversely affected the productivity and output of our schools and centres of learning at all levels, the senate president said,” he said.

Mr Lawan added that the national assembly had amended the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act to increase budgetary allocation for UBEC from two to three per cent.

Peoples Gazette had reported how aggrieved lawmakers accused Mr Lawan and House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamiala of taking $2 million each in cash bribes to ram the PIB through despite protests from host communities.

“The Senate President received $2 million, and the Speaker received $2 million,” a senator told The Gazette under anonymity to avoid charges of breach of privilege. “Their greedy misconduct was recently exposed to us, and we will seriously take up the matter when we resume from the annual recess next month.”