Nigeria’s Education Budget Jumps to N3.52trn Under Tinubu

Nigeria’s education budget has surged to N3.52 trillion in 2025 under President Bola Tinubu, marking a significant rise from the N1.54 trillion allocated in 2023, Vice-President Kashim Shettima has said.

Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja at the opening of the 2025 Nigeria Education Forum, Mr Shettima emphasised that the increased investment reflects the administration’s commitment to strengthening human capital and building a globally competitive population. The forum was organised by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Federal Ministry of Education, and the Committee of States’ Commissioners of Education.

He noted that the country’s large population of out-of-school children remains a national emergency, stressing the need for stronger collaboration between government and private stakeholders to tackle the challenge effectively. Shettima was represented at the event by the Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice-President), Aliyu Modibbo.

The vice-president explained that Nigeria has reached a critical point where traditional government-only financing can no longer sustain the sector, calling for more innovative, resilient, and inclusive funding models to support long-term development.

He highlighted substantial increases across major educational funding agencies, including the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, which has grown from N320.3 billion in 2023 to N1.6 trillion in 2025, and the Universal Basic Education Commission, which has distributed over N92.4 billion in matching grants to states.

“Nothing threatens a civilisation more than an uneducated generation. Nations rise when the people, regardless of circumstance, are equipped with the knowledge to imagine a better future and the skills to build it,” Shettima said.

“The burden cannot rest on government alone. We must enlist private sector actors, industry leaders, alumni networks, philanthropists, and communities to co-invest in laboratories, research centres, vocational hubs, innovation clusters, and endowment funds,” he added.

He further disclosed that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, created under the Students’ Loans Act of 2024, has already disbursed N86.3 billion to more than 450,000 students across 218 tertiary institutions, signalling the administration’s resolve to ensure no student is denied education due to financial constraints.