What happens when every classroom in Nigeria has students but no one left to teach them? That is the blunt warning from the head of the National Commission for Colleges of Education.

Dr (Mrs) Angela Ajala is not mincing words about the state of teacher education, and as reported by cbinewstv, she told education reporters in Abuja this week that Nigeria's entire future hinges on fixing it now.

Speaking during a courtesy visit by the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN), the NCCE Executive Secretary said no nation can rise above the quality of its teachers. It is a point she hammered home with a stark quote:

"If you get it wrong with a teacher, just know that Nigeria is finished. Every engineer, doctor, scientist, entrepreneur, politician and leader passes through the hands of a teacher."

She lamented decades of neglect and what she called a poor public perception of the profession. Teachers, she said, once commanded huge respect in Nigerian society, but that status has been steadily eroded. The result is not just a morale problem, it is a national risk, because poor teaching today shapes poor generations tomorrow.

Ajala had a direct message for the media too: "You are not just reporters; you are reformers." She urged journalists to help reshape how Nigerians see teaching, calling them key partners in the reform drive.

On policy, she defended the controversial removal of the UTME requirement for admission into Colleges of Education. According to her, the decision was not sentimental, it was based on evidence and enrolment projections. UTME, she argued, should be seen as a placement test, not the ultimate measure of academic ability.

And the numbers are worrying. Ajala warned that Nigeria could face a severe teacher shortage within six years if enrolment does not improve urgently.

"In some colleges, you find only about 30 students across 10 programmes. If we do not act now, Nigeria may not have enough teachers in the near future," she said.

So what is being done? She pointed to ongoing reforms, including the dual mandate for Colleges of Education. The idea is simple but powerful: allow colleges to award the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE), degrees and professional certifications at the same time, making their graduates far more competitive.

She added that curriculum reforms are also underway to align teacher training with global standards, insisting Nigeria is not far behind leading systems if the reforms are properly implemented.

Earlier, ECAN Chairman Mr Chuks Ukwuatu commended Ajala's leadership and pledged the association's support for objective reporting of education policies. He also announced plans for an upcoming education conference to assess reforms under the current administration.

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