Nigeria: Millions out‑of‑school children a national emergency, says VP Shettima
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria
Vice‑President Kashim Shettima declared that the millions of Nigerian children who are not in school constitute a national emergency. Speaking at the 2025 Nigeria Education Forum (NEF) in Abuja – organised by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) together with the Federal Ministry of Education and other partners – Shettima called for coordinated action by federal, state and local governments as well as all other stakeholders.
The vice‑president warned that the out‑of‑school population has reached crisis levels and threatens the country’s development.
Federal education allocations rose from N1.54 trillion in 2023 to N3.52 trillion in the 2025 budget. Despite this rise, a large financing gap remains.
Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for state‑level grants, teacher training and community education projects.
The National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has disbursed N86.3 billion to more than 450,000 students across 218 tertiary institutions, easing financial barriers.
Shettima stressed that government alone cannot solve the crisis. He urged private‑sector actors, industry leaders, alumni associations, philanthropists and local communities to co‑invest in laboratories, research centres, vocational hubs, innovation clusters and endowment funds.
Emphasising that quality education depends on well‑trained teachers, he said educators must receive proper training, adequate welfare and professional recognition.
Chairman of the NGF and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, noted that Nigeria’s youth demographic – 43 % under 14 years and 33 % aged 15‑24 – presents a unique opportunity if education is prioritised. He pointed out that national education spending remains at about 3 % of GDP, well below the UNESCO recommendation of 15‑20 % of the budget.
State education budgets have shown growth but execution lags. In 2022 states spent N1 trillion (12 % of total expenditure) on education; this rose to N1.6 trillion in 2023, N2.4 trillion in 2024 and N3.6 trillion in 2025 – a 53 % increase year‑on‑year, driven largely by a 69 % rise in capital allocations. However, only 67 % of the 2025 budget was utilised, leaving an N800 billion shortfall due to unexecuted capital projects.
Shettima’s remarks underscore the urgency of a collaborative financing model to bridge the gap between policy intent and implementation, ensuring that every Nigerian child has access to quality education and that the nation can harness its youthful population for sustainable development.
