State governors in Nigeria have committed to allocating at least 15% of their annual budgets to the education sector, aiming to meet the global standard set by the United Nations.
The pledge was made at the Nigerian Governors Forum’s (NGF) first international conference on girl child education, held on October 10 and 11, 2024, in Abuja.
The UN recommends that member states dedicate 4-6% of GDP or 15-20% of public expenditure to education, a target Nigeria has struggled to meet.
During the event, all 36 state governments agreed to ramp up their education budgets to address long-standing challenges in the sector, particularly those related to girl child education.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who chairs the NGF, emphasized the need for urgent investments in schools and solutions to barriers hindering girls’ education.
Represented by NGF Director-General Abdulateef Shittu, AbdulRazaq declared, “Our commitment to education financing, especially for girl child education, is unwavering across the states.
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We are ready to meet the international benchmark of at least 15% budgetary allocation to education annually.”
The conference also marked the launch of the Girl Child Education Volunteers’ Advocates (GICEVA), an initiative aimed at mobilizing over 774,000 volunteers across Nigeria’s local governments to champion girl child education.
Nigeria’s education crisis is dire, with the UN reporting that one in three children is out of school, including 10.2 million at the primary level and 8.1 million at the junior secondary level.
A significant shortfall in domestic financing for education has left the country with a deficit of 378,000 classrooms and 278,000 teachers.
Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, also attended the conference, highlighting the federal government’s upcoming drive to rescue out-of-school children from the streets, set to begin on October 15.
“By bringing these children off the streets, we can engage their parents, especially their mothers, and provide them with empowerment opportunities to better care for their children,” she stated.
The initiative underscores the government’s broader strategy to combat both the education crisis and improve economic stability for families.
(Edited by Oludare Mayowa; omayowa@globalfinancialdigest.com; Newsroom: +234 8033 964 138)
