By Comfort Asemota
Abuja Vice President Kashim Shettima has raised the alarm over the growing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, describing it as a national emergency. He stressed the urgent need for coordinated action from federal, state, and local governments, as well as all critical stakeholders, to tackle the crisis.
Speaking at the 2025 Nigeria Education Forum (NEF), organized by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education and other partners, Shettima noted that the challenges in the education sector cannot be resolved by government efforts alone. He called for immediate measures to ensure that no Nigerian is denied access to tertiary education due to financial constraints.
Addressing the forum under the theme, “Pathways to Sustainable Education Financing: Developing a Synergy Between Town and Gown,” Shettima emphasized the importance of sustainable education financing and inclusive access to higher education. Represented by his Special Adviser on General Duties, Aliyu Modibbo Umar, he stressed that teachers must receive proper training, welfare, and professional recognition to achieve meaningful learning outcomes.
Shettima highlighted that federal education allocations had increased sharply, rising from N1.54 trillion in 2023 to N3.52 trillion in the 2025 budget. “The millions of out-of-school children represent a national emergency requiring joint action by federal, state, local governments, and community stakeholders,” he said.
While acknowledging the significant increase in government funding, he noted that the gaps remain too large for government to address alone. He mentioned the allocation of N92.4 billion through UBEC for state-level grants, teacher training, and community education projects. He also praised the impact of the National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which has disbursed N86.3 billion to over 450,000 students across 218 institutions, helping remove financial barriers for tertiary education.
Shettima called for collaborative investment from the private sector, industry leaders, alumni associations, philanthropists, and communities. “We must move beyond government-only funding and embrace a collaborative model that supports laboratories, research centres, vocational hubs, innovation clusters, and endowment funds,” he said.
AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Chairman of the NGF and Governor of Kwara State, explained that the NEF is an annual platform where policymakers and industry leaders convene to chart pathways for sustainable education financing and sector reforms. He stressed that Nigeria’s young population presents a significant opportunity if wisely invested in, noting that national education spending currently stands at just 3% of GDP — below the global benchmark of 4–6%.
Represented by the Director-General, Dr. Abdulateef Shittu, AbdulRazaq highlighted positive trends in state-level education funding. In 2022, states collectively spent N1 trillion (12% of total expenditure) on education, increasing to N1.6 trillion in 2023, N2.4 trillion in 2024, and N3.6 trillion in 2025, with a notable 69% rise in capital allocations. However, he warned that poor execution remains a challenge, citing that only 67% of the 2024 budgeted funds were utilized, leaving an N800 billion shortfall from unexecuted capital projects. He described this recurring implementation gap as one of the most urgent issues facing the sector.
