Nigeria’s education sector is set for a major financial boost as the Federal Government increases its 2025 budget allocation to an unprecedented ₦3.52 trillion, according to Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Speaking at the opening of the 2025 Nigeria Education Forum in Abuja on Tuesday, the Vice President—represented by the Special Adviser to the President on General Duties—described the surge from ₦1.54 trillion in 2023 as proof of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to building a competitive, enlightened society.
Shettima warned that Nigeria’s growing population of out-of-school children has become a national emergency, stressing that the problem can no longer be left for government alone to solve.
“Nothing threatens a civilisation more than an uneducated generation,” he said. “Nations rise when their people are equipped with the knowledge to imagine a better future and the skills to build it.”
Push for Collaborative Funding
The Vice President said Nigeria has reached a critical turning point where traditional government-only funding models can no longer sustain educational needs. He called for stronger participation from the private sector, alumni groups, philanthropists, and community stakeholders to co-invest in infrastructure, research, innovation hubs, and endowment funds.
Major Funding Increases Across Key Agencies
Shettima highlighted significant jumps in allocations under the Renewed Hope agenda:
- TETFUND rose from ₦320.3bn in 2023 to ₦683.4bn in 2024, and now ₦1.6tn in 2025.
- UBEC disbursed ₦92.4bn in matching grants to 25 states and the FCT.
- ₦19bn went into teacher development across 32 states and the FCT.
- ₦1.5bn supported projects in 1,147 communities.
- State UBE grants climbed from around ₦1.3bn to over ₦3.3bn, allowing states to access more than ₦6.6bn with counterpart funding.
The Vice President also revealed that the newly established Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has already disbursed ₦86.3bn to over 450,000 students in 218 tertiary institutions.
“This Fund signals a new era where no Nigerian is denied tertiary education for lack of money,” he added.
Call for Accountability and Community Involvement
Shettima urged federal, state, and local governments to ensure transparent use of resources and to meet all counterpart funding obligations. He called on local governments and traditional institutions to take ownership of school infrastructure, security, and teacher welfare.
“We do not treat education as just a line item in the national budget,” he said. “It is the foundation of our national identity and the engine of our economic transformation.”
The 2025 Nigeria Education Forum was organised by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Federal Ministry of Education, and the Committee of States’ Commissioners of Education.
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