Many lists of the problems of guidance and counselling in Nigeria repeat the same opinions without evidence. This one sticks to problems that Nigerian studies have actually found, then looks at what would fix them and what has started to change.
The main documented problems of guidance and counselling in Nigeria are too few trained counsellors, counsellors given other duties, little funding, missing offices and materials, and weak in-service training. The fixes are known: full-time registered counsellors, dedicated budgets, protected counselling time and ongoing training.
For what the service is meant to do, see what guidance and counselling means and why it matters.
What the evidence covers
There’s no national survey of school guidance services in Nigeria, and no official count of school counsellors. What exists is a set of local studies: questionnaires and interviews with counsellors, principals and students in particular states. They’re small, and some are old, but they point to the same problems.
| Study | Where and when | Who took part | Main problems found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alutu | Benin City, Edo State, 2005 | 14 schools with practising counsellors, plus the city’s federal government and university demonstration schools | Only 25 of 96 public secondary schools had a practising counsellor; no funds for basic services; testing and student records rarely kept |
| Nnadi and colleagues | Anambra State, 2020 | 155 school counsellors | Little in-service training |
| Suleiman and colleagues | Kwara State, 2021 | 20 principals | Most schools lacked a proper counselling unit, qualified counsellors and facilities |
| Kojigili and colleagues | Adamawa State, 2024 | 150 senior secondary counsellors | Non-counselling tasks, teachers used as counsellors, limited funds, poor support for training, poor incentives |
| Onaolapo | Three rural secondary schools, 2025 | 6 experienced counsellors | Too many students per counsellor; inadequate resources |
| Fakokunde and colleagues | Armed forces schools, 2025 | 200 respondents | Counsellors need relief from other duties, and more training |
| Sunsuwa and colleagues | Wukari zone, Taraba State, 2026 | 12 counsellors, 249 students | Placement services rated unavailable; rural schools behind urban ones |
The main problems
1. Too few trained counsellors
The clearest problem is simply numbers. In Benin City in 2005, only about a quarter of public secondary schools had a practising counsellor. Kwara principals in 2021 said most of their schools lacked qualified counsellors. In three rural schools studied in 2025, counsellors said they had too many students to serve.
None of this adds up to a national figure, and it shouldn’t be stretched into one. But the same shortage shows up in different states and different years.
2. Counsellors doing other jobs
Even where a school has a counsellor, the counsellor isn’t always counselling. Counsellors in Adamawa State in 2024 named “non-counselling tasks” among their main problems, and said teachers were being used as counsellors. A 2025 study in armed forces schools recommended that counsellors be relieved of other duties so they could do their job.
3. No money, rooms or materials
Guidance needs a budget, a private room and basic tools such as tests and records. In Benin City, funds for basic guidance services were lacking, and psychological tests and cumulative record folders were among the services least often provided. Kwara principals described schools without a proper counselling unit or facilities. Counsellors in Adamawa named limited funds, and those in the 2025 rural study named inadequate resources.
4. Little training after qualifying
Counselling changes, and counsellors need ongoing training. In Anambra State, counsellors’ participation in in-service training was low. Adamawa counsellors reported poor support for training, and listed computer skills among their own gaps. The armed forces study recommended further training.
5. Unclear roles
Counsellors in Adamawa listed administrators’ perception of counsellors, unclear roles, lack of cooperation and poor monitoring among their problems. The federal government has acknowledged this. When it launched the National Policy on Counselling in 2018, the minister of education said the lack of a policy had left counselling without a clear structure, with poor communication and little cooperation between professionals. The policy was meant to define counsellors’ duties and their relationship with other school staff.
Suggested read: Counselling Techniques and Skills: What Counsellors Do
6. Rural schools get less
In the Wukari zone of Taraba State in 2026, students in urban schools reported using conflict-resolution strategies more than students in rural schools. The authors called for fairer counselling provision, and more training, in rural schools.
7. Policy on paper, not in practice
Federal policy has said since 1981 that counsellors would be appointed in post-primary schools. Yet in Benin City in 2005, only 14% of the schools studied said the National Policy on Education’s guidance objectives had been met even to some extent. A 2010 paper argued that the policy never spelled out the scope or objectives of guidance clearly enough to begin with.
Solutions
Most of these fixes come from the studies’ own recommendations, and from Professor Rosemary Ogbodo-Adoga’s 2026 inaugural lecture at the National Open University of Nigeria.
| Problem | What would help | Who can act |
|---|---|---|
| Too few counsellors | Employ trained, registered counsellors and post them to schools full-time | Federal and state ministries of education; school proprietors |
| Other duties | Protect counselling time, and write counsellors’ duties into school policy | Principals; state education boards |
| No money or rooms | A dedicated budget line for guidance, and a private, equipped counselling room | Ministries of education; school proprietors |
| Little training | Regular in-service training, supported by bursaries and sponsorship | State schools boards; CASSON; the counselling council |
| Unclear roles | Tell principals, teachers and parents what counsellors do, and work together | Ministries; school leaders; counsellors |
| Rural gap | Prioritise rural schools when posting counsellors and funding services | State governments |
| Policy without practice | Apply the National Policy on Counselling, and open the counsellors’ register | Federal Ministry of Education; the counselling council |
What about the ratio?
Nigeria has no official counsellor-to-student ratio that we could find. The figure you’ll often see, one counsellor for every 250 students, is the American School Counselor Association’s recommendation, which it has made since 1965. Even in the United States the national average was 372 students per counsellor in 2024–25. Nigerian advocates, including Professor Ogbodo-Adoga, have called for 1:250 as a target.
Prospects: what has started to change
The problems are old, but some things are moving.
- A law and a regulator. The Counselling Practitioners Council of Nigeria Act of 2022 created a statutory council and register, and the Council’s board was inaugurated in April 2025. The Act says counsellor posts in government and in companies are meant for registered counsellors. Registration is only starting: in October 2026 the Council’s site still says its portal is “opening soon”.
- A national policy. The National Policy on Counselling (2017–18) sets out counsellors’ duties. In April 2025 the Federal Ministry of Education again described the policy and its implementation guidelines as one of its initiatives.
- An active profession. CASSON is marking 50 years in 2026, and APROCON held its 10th annual conference in August 2026. Read how CASSON membership and registration work.
- Training. Several federal universities offer degrees in guidance and counselling up to doctoral level. Our guide on how to become a therapist in Nigeria sets out the route.
None of this puts a counsellor in every school by itself. The test is whether governments fund posts and whether the register opens. For how the field reached this point, read our history of guidance and counselling in Nigeria.
What students and parents can do now
- Ask whether your school has a trained counsellor, when they’re available, and where you can talk privately.
- If there isn’t one, talk to a teacher you trust, a family doctor or a faith leader who can help you find support.
- Parents can ask a family doctor, who can refer a child or teenager to a mental health service, or talk to a family and parenting therapist for support of their own.
- University students aged 18 and over can see what support is available to students on Mytherapist.ng.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 112 (or 767 in Lagos), or Safe Place Nigeria on 0800 800 2000. The full list of numbers is on our helplines page.
Frequently asked questions
What are the problems of guidance and counselling in Nigeria? Nigerian studies have found too few trained counsellors, counsellors given non-counselling duties, little funding, missing counselling rooms and materials, weak in-service training, unclear roles, and worse provision in rural schools.
What challenges do school counsellors face in Nigeria? Counsellors surveyed in Adamawa State in 2024 named non-counselling tasks, limited funds, poor support for training, poor incentives, unclear roles and how administrators see them. Studies in other states found similar problems, plus too many students per counsellor.
How can guidance and counselling be improved in Nigeria? By employing trained, registered counsellors full-time, giving guidance its own budget and a private room in each school, protecting counselling time, and funding regular in-service training. Opening the counsellors’ register under the 2022 Act would also help.
Suggested read: Importance of Guidance and Counselling in Nigerian Schools
What are the prospects of guidance and counselling in Nigeria? Better than a decade ago. Counselling now has a law, a statutory council and a national policy, and the profession is active. Whether schools benefit depends on funding for counsellor posts and on the register opening.
What is the recommended counsellor-to-student ratio in Nigeria? There’s no official Nigerian ratio that we could find. The often-quoted 1:250 is a recommendation by the American School Counselor Association, which some Nigerian counsellors use as a target.
Can a teacher act as a school counsellor? In some Nigerian schools, teachers do fill the role, and counsellors have reported this as a problem. Under the 2022 Act, counsellor posts in government service are meant for counsellors registered with the Council.
