The Academic Staff Union of Universities, on Friday, chided the Federal and state governments over their 2025 education budgets, describing the allocations as a reflection of their disregard and underestimation of the education sector’s importance.
In his Wednesday address to the National Assembly, President Bola Tinubu presented the 2025 budget proposal, which outlined a colossal N49.70tn spending plan titled “Budget of Restoration: Securing Peace, Rebuilding Prosperity.”
The Federal Government allocated N3.52tn to education—just seven per cent of the total budget, covering costs for Universal Basic Education and nine new higher institutions.
This allocation falls far below the 26 per cent benchmark recommended by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and Nigeria’s National Policy on Education.
The World Bank also suggests that 20-30 per cent of government budgets should be allocated to education annually.
Despite this international recommendation, 18 states, including Lagos (6.93 per cent), Delta (6.89 per cent), and Bayelsa (6.83 per cent), allocated less than 26 per cent of their 2025 budgets to education.
Other states like Plateau (11 per cent), Ebonyi (17.68 per cent), Katsina (14 per cent), Bauchi (15 per cent), Oyo (21.44 per cent), Ogun (11.55 per cent), Nasarawa (20.4 per cent), Abia (20 per cent), and Sokoto (25 per cent) also fell short.
Speaking with our correspondent on Friday, ASUU National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, expressed disappointment, saying the governments’ budget allocations were a clear reflection of their lack of commitment to the revitalisation of the education sector.
He noted that the N3.5tn education budget of the Federal Government may seem large, “but it only constitutes seven per cent, a figure unchanged from previous years.”
Osodeke highlighted the dire state of Nigerian universities, pointing out that “while electricity costs for universities were around N20m in the past, they now reach nearly N300m”
He also emphasised the worsening exchange rate which has eroded the value of the allocated budget.
The ASUU leader voiced skepticism about the full release of the budgeted funds, recalling that the N300bn allocated for the revitalisation of Nigerian universities in 2023 was yet to be released.
“The government budgeted N300bn for university revitalisation in 2023, but we are nearing 2025, and that money has still not been released. How can we be sure that this new budget won’t face the same fate?” Osodeke questioned.