2025 budget: FG, 22 states allocate N6.13trn to Education

Nigeria’s Federal Government and 22 of the 36 states of the country have allocated N6.131 trillion of their 2025 budgets to education.

The figure amounts to a paltry 9.27% of the N66.111 trillion they plan to spend next year. And it is far below the recommended benchmarks of Nigeria, the World Bank, and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

According to UNESCO, national and sub-nation governments should devote 26% of their budgets to education. The World Bank recommends 20 to 30% while Nigeria’s National Policy on Education provides that no less than 26% of the Federal and state government’s budgets should be allocated to education.

At this time, 33 of the 36 states have announced their budgets. Imo, Kwara and Rivers are yet to present their 2025 appropriation proposals.

Of the 33 states, only 22 announced what they they would spend on education going by information on their websites and what the governors read at their Houses of Assembly.

Among the 22 states, only four – Enugu (32.99%), Kano (31%), Jigawa (26.4%), and Kaduna (26.14%) met UNESCO and Nigeria’s 26% benchmark.

Abia (20%), Nasarawa (20.43%), Oyo (21.4%), and Sokoto (25%) met the World Bank’s 20% minimum standard.

Like the Federal Government (7.08%), states that made the least allocations to education (see table) are Lagos (6.93%), Delta (6.89%), and Bayelsa (6.83%).