Enugu Sustains Huge Investments in Education, to Spend N521bn on Sector in 2026

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in EnuguAfter overshooting the United Nations benchmark for national budgetary allocations to education last year, Enugu State is not looking back as it has given the largest singular chunk of the 2026 budget to education sector.The United Nations, through the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation(UNESCO) had in its declaration mandated that 26 percent of the national budget should go to education.

But Enugu State, a sub-national government in the Nigeria federation, has gone beyond that, setting aside 32.27 percent of its budget for education. This means that Enugu would spend N521 billion of the 2026 budget outlay of N1.62 trillion, just on education.The State Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr. Chris-Roberts Ozongwu, made this known while giving the breakdown of the 2026 budget proposal at a press conference held at the Enugu NUJ press centre.

He said the only other sector that comes closest to education in the budgetary allocation is works and infrastructure which got N242 billion or 14.97 percent of the budget. The lowest allocation of N27.9 million or 0.00 percent went to the House of Assembly Service Commission.

Big spending on education has become a permanent feature of the fiscal policy of Enugu since the inception of the Governor Peter Mbah administration.The tradition was laid down in the 2024 budget when 33 percent of the budget was allocated to education. It continued in 2025 as education received 33.2 percent or N320 billion of the total appropriation of N971 billion.For the 2026 fiscal year, Ozongwu outlined the key projects that would be executed in the education sector, saying that N158 billion would be spent on construction of 16 Smart Senior Secondary Schools across the state.

He stated that 10 technical and vocational education and training schools(TVETS) would be built at a total cost of N68 billion while N30 billion has been earmarked for equipping and furnishing of Technical Colleges.The Budget and Planning Commissioner also revealed that Enugu would spend N15 billion for upgrading of 106 public Secondary schools to Model Senior Secondary Schools.

Two of such structures would be allocated to each of the 12 Education zones of the state in the first phase of the upgrading  programme.He further stated that N10 billion would be spent on equipping/ furnishing of the Smart Schools across the 260 political wards in the state while N30 billion has been earmarked for the school feeding programme in the schools.“This initiative is designed not only to promote the well-being of our children but also to strengthen their nutritional health, ensuring that every child receives balanced meals that support growth and learning,” Ozongwu said.According to him, by prioritising nutrition, the (school meal) programme serves as a dritixal measure the fight against childhood malnutrition within our state, laying the foundation for healthier, more resilient future generations”.Governor Mbah had while presenting the 2025 budget before the Enugu State House of Assembly last week, said that the investment in education was intentional and geared towards achieving a set goal.“In the last two years, we have moved from talking about youth and education to building for them at scale.“We have devoted roughly one-third of two consecutive state budgets to education because the most valuable resource for the future of Enugu is the head, hand, and heart of our young people,” he said.The governor stated that “across all 260 wards, our Smart Green Schools are now at or near completion – digital classrooms, devices, science labs, solar power, and modern facilities designed to prepare our children for a tech-driven world”.