- Tinubu Administration Raises Education Spending to N3.52 Trillion
- Says thr budget increased from N1.54 trillion in 2023 to N3.52 trillion in 2025
- Shettima highlighted several funding milestones under the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda
Vice President Kashim Shettima has described the rising population of out-of-school children as a “national emergency”, warning that Nigeria’s education system has reached a breaking point that requires urgent and collective action, Eko Hot Blog reports.
Speaking in Abuja at the opening of the 2025 Nigeria Education Forum, Shettima said traditional government-only funding models were no longer sufficient to address the scale of the crisis. He was represented by the Special Adviser to the President on General Duties, Aliyu Modibbo Umar.
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Nigeria’s education budget has risen sharply under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, increasing from N1.54 trillion in 2023 to N3.52 trillion in 2025.
“The burden cannot rest on government alone,” Shettima said. “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.”
The forum, jointly organised by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Federal Ministry of Education and the Committee of States’ Commissioners of Education, focused on the theme “Pathways to Sustainable Education Financing: Developing a Synergy Between Town and Gown in Nigeria.”
Shettima highlighted several funding milestones under the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He noted growth in allocations to major education agencies, including TETFund and UBEC.
“Over the past three years, allocations rose from N1.54 trillion in 2023 to N2.18 trillion in 2024 and now N3.52 trillion in 2025,” he said. “TETFund’s budget has also expanded from N320.3 billion in 2023 to N683.4 billion in 2024 and now N1.6 trillion in 2025. UBEC has broadened its support base, with 25 states and the FCT accessing N92.4 billion in matching grants.”
According to him, another N19 billion has funded teacher development in 32 states and the FCT, while N1.5 billion has reached more than 1,147 communities.
Shettima said Nigeria must transition to a more innovative, resilient and collaborative funding system to meet the needs of its rapidly growing youth population.
In his welcome address, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, noted that with 43 per cent of Nigerians under 14 and another 33 per cent aged 15 to 24, the country’s demographic structure presents a rare opportunity for strategic investment in education.
