…Education should receive 4–6% of GDP or 15–20% of total public spending, according to UNESCO.
ANAMBRA, NIGERIA-The iNews Times | Education funding shows sharp disparities across the states, as governors nationwide submit their 2026 appropriation bills to their respective state Houses of Assembly. Anambra, Enugu, Kano and Jigawa emerged as the biggest investors in the sector, while several others allocated far below internationally recommended benchmarks.
So far, 34 state governors have presented their 2026 budget proposals to lawmakers.
The review shows that Anambra leads the country in education spending, committing 46.9 per cent of its N757bn budget to the sector.
Enugu State follows, with N522bn of its N1.62tn 2026 budget, representing 32.3 per cent earmarked for the sector. The state has sustained this level of commitment, having devoted more than 30 per cent of its budget to education in both 2024 and 2025. For 2026, the allocation is expected to support infrastructure development, teacher recruitment and flagship projects such as Smart Green Schools, including N30bn for school feeding programmes.
Kano State ranks next, setting aside N405.3bn for the sector from its total N1.368tn budget, amounting to 30 per cent. The state government has consistently described education as a critical driver of development.
Jigawa allocated N234.48bn to education, accounting for 26 per cent of its N901.84bn budget. Governor Muhammad Badaru has repeatedly emphasised that quality education is central to the state’s future.
Other states with strong education commitments close to or above global benchmarks include Kaduna, which earmarked N246.25bn of its N985bn budget (25 per cent); Abia, with N203.2bn of N1.016tn (20 per cent); and Taraba, which allocated N131.6bn out of N650bn, representing about 20 per cent.
States with notable but lower allocations include Kogi (N145.26bn of N820.49bn, 18 per cent); Katsina (N156.3bn of N897bn, 17.4 per cent); Oyo (N155.21bn of N892bn, 17.4 per cent); Nasarawa (N92.91bn of N545.2bn, 17.05 per cent); Ogun (N275.4bn of N1.66tn, 16.6 per cent); and Kebbi, which devoted about 16 per cent—N105bn of its N642.93bn budget to education.
At the other end of the spectrum, Akwa Ibom and Imo recorded the lowest allocations to education, each committing less than five per cent of their total budgets to the sector. Akwa Ibom allocated N31.6bn from its N1.39tn budget, representing just 2.27 per cent, while Imo earmarked N60.623bn of its N1.43tn budget, or 4.24 per cent.
Education should receive 4–6% of GDP or 15–20% of total public spending, according to UNESCO.
Many states fell short of this standard, allocating less than 10 per cent.
These include Adamawa (N40bn of N583bn, 6.86 per cent); Bayelsa (N75.1bn of N1.01tn, 7.43 per cent); Delta (N105.09bn of N1.72tn, 6.11 per cent); Gombe (N49.48bn of N617.95bn, 8.01 per cent); Lagos (N249bn of N4.237tn, 5.87 per cent); Niger (N107.9bn of N1.31tn, 8.24 per cent); and Zamfara (N65bn of N861bn, 7.55 per cent).
States that allocated around 15 per cent of their budgets to education include Bauchi (N131.71bn of N878bn); Ondo (N77.02bn of N524bn); and Sokoto (N115.9bn of N758.7bn).
In some states, education funding is grouped under a broader social services category, alongside health, social welfare, housing and community development. Such states include Cross River (N163bn of N961bn), Edo (N148.9bn of N939bn), Plateau (N119bn of N914bn), Yobe (N200bn of N515bn), Kwara (N152.33bn of N644bn) and Ebonyi (N247.97bn of N884bn), making it difficult to determine the exact amounts devoted specifically to education.
Meanwhile, Osun approved a 2026 budget of N723.4bn, while Ekiti proposed a N415.37bn budget, though detailed sectoral breakdowns—particularly for education—are yet to be fully disclosed in some of these states.
The analysis also showed that Borno and Rivers states, governed by Babagana Zulum and Siminalayi Fubara respectively, are yet to present their 2026 appropriation bills to their state Houses of Assembly.
