Soludo: Anambra’s 2026 Budget Surpassed UNESCO’s Recommendation on Education Funding

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has said that the state’s 2026 budget on education surpassed the recommendation made by United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

A press statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr. Christian Aburime, stated that Soludo deliberately made Anambra State the education headquarters of Nigeria by budgeting 46.9 per cent of its ₦757 billion budget to education alone, as against UNESCO’s 15-20 per cent recommendation.

He said: “An intentional leader like Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo can’t just stop taking the educational torchlight to new heights.

“Anambra State is topping the charts in the 2026 fiscal year. Fresh analysis across Nigeria’s states, shows Anambra outshining peers like Enugu, Kano, and Jigawa, while many others trail far behind in global standards.

“This is Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s uncompromising resolve to transform Anambra into a knowledge-driven powerhouse, aligning seamlessly with UNESCO’s longstanding recommendations that nations and states allocate 15 to 20 per cent of total public expenditure, or four to six percent of GDP, to education.”

Aburime added that the investments of the Soludo’s government are very visible and can be seen in the employment of 8,115 teachers, which ended the era of ‘schools without teachers’ and also the surge in school enrollment, both in primary and secondary schools, because of the free education policy.

“At the core of this significant shift lies a track record of tangible achievements that have already reshaped Anambra’s educational landscape.

“Since taking office, Governor Soludo has recruited an impressive 8,115 teachers, effectively banishing the era of ghost classrooms and understaffed schools.

“This massive infusion of qualified talent has been paired with an unprecedented free public education policy spanning kindergarten, junior secondary school, through senior secondary, ensuring that no child is barred from opportunity by fees or hidden levies.

“The results today speak volumes: public secondary school enrollment has surged by 47 per cent, while primary schools have seen a 27 per cent uptick, positioning Anambra with the lowest out-of-school children rate in Nigeria.

“These figures are lifelines extended to families who once viewed quality education as a distant dream,” he stated.