More than N267 billion in released basic education intervention funds remained unspent as of August 2026, while over N65 billion in counterpart funding was yet to be accessed by state governments, according to disclosures by the federal government. This revelation has sparked fresh concern over resource management as the nation grapples with a severe learning crisis.
Data from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) indicates that approximately 70 percent of Nigerian children of primary school age are currently unable to read and understand a simple text. This alarming statistic highlights a profound disconnect between government funding commitments and the actual delivery of essential educational services.
Push for Better Budget Planning and Execution
To address the systemic weaknesses leading to unspent funds and poor learning outcomes, the federal government has partnered with the World Bank and other stakeholders. The initiative operates under the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity–Governance Programme (HOPE-GOV), focusing specifically on Disbursement-Linked Indicator 2 (DLI 2) to improve state-level budget planning and execution for both basic education and primary healthcare.
Speaking in Abuja at a technical capacity-building workshop, UBEC Executive Secretary Dr. Aisha Garba—represented by the commission’s Coordinator for HOPE-GOV and Director of Teacher Professional Development, Maryam Sani Dangaji—emphasized that increasing allocations alone will not resolve the crisis. She stressed that public institutions must focus on expenditure efficiency and accountability.
“Spending more will not achieve this by itself; we must spend better,” she said, adding that every naira allocated to classrooms, instructional materials, and teacher training must produce tangible improvements in children’s literacy and numeracy.
Aligning Budgets With Development Plans
Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Deborah Odoh, noted that the quality of public spending relies on the strength of planning systems. She urged states preparing their 2027 fiscal-year budgets to properly link state development plans, sector policies, and consolidated workplans to their annual financial allocations.
Dr. Assad Hassan, National Coordinator of the HOPE-GOV Programme, echoed these sentiments, stating that the initiative aims to guide states to “move from plans to priorities, from priorities to budgets, and from budgets to results.”
Furthermore, Dr. Chinekwu Oreh, representing the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat, underscored that credible budgets and timely fund utilization are crucial for ensuring that classrooms and primary healthcare centers become visibly accessible to ordinary citizens.
Targeted Reforms in Education and Healthcare
To combat planning challenges, UBEC is implementing several structural reforms, including the revamped Basic Education Action Plan (BEAP), a digital Basic Education Action Plan Management System (BEAPMS), revised UBE Intervention Fund Guidelines, and a 10-year strategic roadmap spanning 2026 to 2035.
Concurrently, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) reported progress in the health sector. According to Dr. Muyi Aina, represented by HOPE-PHC focal person Onesirosan Omawumi Daibo, 3,504 primary healthcare centers have been revitalized, and N77.7 billion has been disbursed through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) to 8,309 facilities across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory between 2023 and the first quarter of 2026.