Asaba, Delta State – The National Association of Seadogs (NAS), popularly known as the Pyrates Confraternity, Vito Corsica Deck, joined the global community on Monday to mark the 2025 International Literacy Day with a strong call for urgent action to tackle Nigeria’s deepening literacy crisis.
With this year’s theme, “Promoting Literacy in the Digital Era: Bridging the Gap,” members of the Vito Corsica Deck, led by the Deck’s Second Mate, Emeka Sepi Maduka, staged sensitization campaigns across Asaba and its environs, advocating for the education of every child.
To amplify the message, the Deck anchored a special radio advocacy programme on Delta Radio DBS 97.9FM, featuring renowned public affairs analyst Comrade Austin Omilo and journalist/Public Relations practitioner Comrade Abel Johngold. The discussion, anchored by Mr. Toju Edmo Tuoyo, highlighted Nigeria’s literacy challenges and pathways to reform.
Central to the broadcast was the commemorative statement of NAS Cap’n, Dr. Joseph Oteri, who lamented that Nigeria, despite being Africa’s largest economy, has the world’s highest number of out-of-school children. Citing UNICEF and UNESCO reports, he noted that over 10.2 million children of primary school age are out of school, with the figure rising to 18.3 million when adolescents are included — meaning one in every five out-of-school children worldwide is Nigerian.
“This is a national emergency that undermines Nigeria’s future and jeopardises the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially quality education, poverty eradication, and gender equality,” Oteri said.
He identified poverty, insecurity, gender inequality, child labour, and decaying infrastructure as major barriers to education, warning that these conditions leave children vulnerable to crime, drugs, exploitation, and trafficking. He further cautioned that Nigeria risks creating a “digitally illiterate generation” as millions of children in rural areas are excluded from technology-enabled learning due to lack of affordable internet, devices, and community ICT centres.
Reaffirming NAS’s commitment, Dr. Oteri announced the launch of a month-long “Back to School Advocacy and Humanitarian Project” from September 8 to October 8, 2025, across Nigeria and abroad. The initiative, he said, will combine advocacy with direct support such as free tuition, scholarships, and school materials for disadvantaged children.
NAS urged stakeholders — government, civil society, private sector, international partners, and parents — to act decisively by:
- Allocating at least 20% of annual budgets to education with strict monitoring;
- Enforcing free, compulsory, and quality basic education nationwide;
- Expanding school feeding, scholarships, and cash transfer programmes;
- Investing in digital inclusion through internet access, ICT centres, and devices;
- Strengthening partnerships between government, NGOs, and communities; and
- Enforcing accountability to ensure resources reach classrooms.
“The cost of inaction is dire. Every child left uneducated today becomes a burden on society tomorrow. Literacy is more than the ability to read and write; it is the passport to economic participation, resilience against crime, and empowerment for citizenship,” the NAS Cap’n declared.
As the world marks International Literacy Day, the Pyrates Confraternity reaffirmed its resolve to champion literacy, digital inclusion, and social justice — insisting that only through inclusive education can Nigeria bridge the gap and secure a brighter future for its children.
