By Bilesanmi Abayomi
A growing number of Nigerians, both at home and in the diaspora, are throwing their weight behind a bill proposed by the House of Representatives to ban public servants from enrolling their children in private schools or accessing private healthcare.
Though still under legislative consideration, the bill is being hailed as a bold step toward revamping Nigeria’s failing public education and health sectors.
During a recent live broadcast on KosofePost’s TikTok platform, Canada-based tech entrepreneur and education advocate, Tunrayo Soyomi, described the bill as “a welcome development and a good bill,” urging Nigerians to support its passage and implementation.
Soyomi, who reminisced about the quality of public education in Nigeria’s past, blamed policy failures and poor governance for the collapse of the system. She argued that compelling public officials to use the same public institutions as ordinary Nigerians would force them to fix the rot.
From the United Kingdom, public affairs commentator Bilesanmi Abayomi Koko weighed in:
“Taking the right steps—Here in the UK, public servants send their children to public schools, not private ones. In fact, you don’t find private schools on every other street like back home. The House should not just ban foreign education for public servants; their children should attend government-owned schools. That’s the only way leaders will truly care about improving public education.”
Other contributors agreed that the bill is a move in the right direction, but some also warned against blanket policies.
Comrade Mudashiru Ismaila Alabi criticized Nigeria’s political culture:
“There, [abroad], quality service delivery is how leaders are assessed. Here, ours is built on social, political, and religious sentiment. We need to rethink our values.”
However, Fatoki Ayobode Kehinde of Ikosi-Isheri LCDA offered a contrasting view, “The government is an employer, and civil servants are employees. My employer cannot dictate how I spend my money. Instead of banning private options, government should upgrade public infrastructure. If the schools are good enough, people will go willingly.”
Referencing former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, who famously enrolled his children in public school while in office, Taiwo Lasisi, President of the Ta’awun Political Forum, noted:
“He led by example. But many leaders fear karma—they are afraid of the consequences of neglecting the same institutions they now avoid.”
He illustrated this with a metaphor, “It’s like a bad aviation lecturer who once taught poorly, then boarded a plane only to find his former student as the pilot. He panicked, shouting, ‘Take me back!’ That’s the fear many public servants live with.”
Comrade Mudashiru also reiterated, “The same leaders who enjoyed Nigeria’s best public schools are now sabotaging them—sending their children abroad on taxpayers’ money. Until we demand accountability, nothing will change.”
As debate around the bill continues, what’s clear is that Nigerians are calling for more than laws—they’re demanding leadership by example. The real reform, they argue, begins when those in power must live with the very systems they govern.