Shettima: Nigeria’s Education Budget Rose from N1.54trn in 2023 to N3.52trn in 2025

•Says out-of-school children pose national emergency, canvasses private sector co-investment

Deji Elumoye and Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Nigeria’s education budget jumped to N3.52 trillion in 2025 under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, who disclosed this yesterday in Abuja, said the increase was a significant increase from the N1.54 trillion recorded in 2023.

Shettima noted that the number of out-of-school children in the country constitutes a national emergency, calling for collaboration between government and private sector stakeholders to address the problem.

Represented by the Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President) at the opening of the 2025 Nigeria Education Forum in Abuja, Shettima noted that education spending under Tinubu reflects the administration’s unwavering commitment to building an enlightened and globally competitive population.

The forum, organised by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the Federal Ministry of Education, and the Committee of States’ Commissioners of Education, focused on the theme, “Pathways to Sustainable Education Financing: Developing a Synergy Between Town and Gown in Nigeria.”

The Vice President said, “Nothing threatens a civilisation more than an uneducated generation. Nations rise when the people, regardless of circumstance, are equipped with the knowledge to imagine a better future and the skills to build it.”

He emphasised that Nigeria has reached a critical inflection point where traditional government-only funding models could no longer sustain the country’s educational needs and called for a fundamental shift toward collaborative, innovative, and resilient financing mechanisms.

“The burden cannot rest on government alone. We must enlist private sector actors, industry leaders, alumni networks, philanthropists, and communities to co-invest in laboratories, research centres, vocational hubs, innovation clusters, and endowment funds,” he added.

Shettima detailed substantial increases across key education funding agencies under the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope plan, where according to him, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) budget grew from N320.3 billion in 2023 to N683.4 billion in 2024, and now stands at N1.6 trillion in 2025.

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has distributed N92.4 billion in matching grants to 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Another N19 billion has supported teacher development across 32 states and the FCT, while N1.5 billion has reached more than 1,147 communities, he said.

According to the Vice President, individual state UBE grants have increased from approximately N1.3 billion to over N3.3 billion, allowing states to access more than N6.6 billion through counterpart funding arrangements.

The newly created Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), established under the Student Loans Act of 2024, has already disbursed N86.3 billion to over 450,000 students in 218 tertiary institutions nationwide.

According to the Vice President, “This Fund signals a new era where no Nigerian is denied tertiary education for lack of money.

“The learning crisis cannot be solved without safe and well-equipped schools, from basic classrooms to technical laboratories.

“Teachers must enjoy adequate training, welfare, and professional recognition if they are to deliver the outcomes our children deserve.”

He called for deliberate collaboration across federal, state, and local government levels, emphasising the importance of prompt counterpart funding, transparent utilisation of resources, and strict adherence to action plans.

“Since education begins in the community, local governments and traditional institutions must take responsibility for infrastructure development, school maintenance, security, and teacher welfare.

“We are here today because we do not treat education as just a line item in the national budget. We treat it as the foundation of our national identity, the engine of our economic transformation, and the shield of our collective security,” Shettima further said.

The Vice President stressed that no nation makes developmental progress at the detrimemt of education.

Also speaking at the event, the Governors explained why they have adopted a progressive and increased education funding across States.

They stated that States spent N1 trillion, which was 12 percent of their total expenditure on education in 2022.

According to the Governors, in 2023, N1.6 trillion was provided for in the budgets of all the States for the education sector, while in 2024, they committed N2.4 trillion to education. However, in 2025, state governments collectively increased education budgets by 53 percent, from N2.4 trillion to N3.6 trillion, driven largely by a 69 percent rise in capital allocations.

Speaking on behalf of the Governors, the NGF Chairman and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who was represented by the Director General of the NGF, Abdulateef Shittu, said, ‘’Across the states, however, we are seeing a promising shift. States spent N1 trillion, that is, 12 percent of their total expenditure on education in 2022.

“In 2023, N1.6 trillion was provided for in the budgets of the states for the education sector. In 2024, states committed N2.4 trillion for education.

“However, in 2025, state governments collectively increased education budgets by 53 percent, from N2.4 trillion to N3.6 trillion, driven largely by a 69 percent rise in capital allocations.’’

The Chairman of the Governors’ Forum said, education, “is both a national conversation and a national commitment to rethink how to engage stakeholders on education financing, deliver learning, and equip Nigerian youths for a rapidly evolving world.”

“Today, Nigeria stands at a defining moment. With 43 percent of our population under the age 14 years and another 33 percent between 15 and 24 years old, our demographic trajectory presents an extraordinary opportunity for wise and systemic investment.

“Available data shows that we must accelerate our efforts through national education spending, which remains at three percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

‘’This is well below the global benchmark of four to six percent education spending to GDP. The eight and 14 percent budgetary allocations to education in the national and subnational budgets fall short of the UNESCO’s recommended 15-20% benchmark for sustainable education financing.

‘’But the impact of this commitment is constrained by execution. In 2024, states utilised only 67 percent of budgeted funds, resulting in an N800 billion shortfall rooted in unexecuted capital projects.

“This recurring implementation gap is one of the most urgent issues before us.

‘’The projection for 2026 is even higher with five states of Lagos (N 249 billion), Kano (N405 billion), Enugu (N523 billion), Kaduna (N246 billion), Katsina (N156 billion) and Abia (N203 billion) projected to appropriate N 1.8 trillion to the education sector. Kano, Enugu, Kaduna, and Abia States will be allocating 30 percent, 32 percent, 25 percent, and 20 percent of their 2026 budgetary provisions to the education sector, respectively.

‘’We are projecting two-thirds of the states to meet the 15 percent global benchmark in the 2026 fiscal year.

“We are hopeful of addressing the debt service challenge, which exceeds total education expenditure in some states.

“This reality limits the capacity of a few states to invest in teachers, improve foundational learning, modernise Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and strengthen higher education systems.

“However, modalities have been put in place to address these critical needs of the education sector at the state and local government levels.’’

Accordingly, he said, ‘’No nation grows beyond the quality of its education system, and no country competes globally without strong subnational performance.

“States manage the bulk of public schools, recruit, and train teachers, implement curriculum reforms, and drive innovation in TVET and tertiary education. To support this mandate, the NGF is strengthening three strategic priority areas:’’

In his contribution, the Minister of Education. Dr. Morufu Tunji Alausa stressed the need for States and Local Governments to align their educational policies with that of the federal government.

Represented by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, Alausa urged all governors, commissioners and other stakeholders to accelerate alignment of state education reforms with Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) priorities.

He also urged them to build more junior secondary schools (JSS) and senior secondary school (SSS) to close access gaps; strengthen data reporting for full Nigerian Education Data Initiative (NEDI) integration.

The minister equally urged the governors, Education Commissioners to scale up teacher training and digital adoption and partner with the private sector to grow Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and the  Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM).