DIVERSION OF ALMAJIRI EDUCATION MONEY
The insertion of unrelated projects in the Commission’s budget is misguided
The National Assembly has repeatedly been accused of abusing the federal budgetary process by inserting questionable constituency projects. The latest victim of the disturbing trend is the National Commission for Almajiri and out-of-school Children’s Education (NCAOOSCE), an agency saddled with tackling the world’s largest out-of-school children crisis. Out of its N22.8 billion total budget for 2026, N8.4 billion was earmarked for unrelated initiatives, including road construction in Ekiti, Ogun, and Katsina States. Besides, parts of the money would also be used for procuring ambulances, solar streetlights, and other infrastructure which have no link to the education of the vulnerable children.
Expectedly, the revelation has triggered widespread outrage. Several individuals and civil society groups have condemned the diversion. It is unconscionable that the little resources intended to educate out-of-school children would be taken away from their primary purpose. “Whether conceived by the commission or inserted by lawmakers,” said the IA-Foundation, a United Kingdom registered educational charity, “every naira spent on roads, boreholes or ambulances through an education agency’s budget is a naira that does not reach a child who cannot read, write or count”.
