Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima has called for a bold, collaborative, and innovation-driven approach to education financing, declaring that government alone cannot carry the weight of transforming the nation’s education system.
Shettima made the remarks while declaring open the 2025 Nigeria Education Forum (NEF) in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Speaking on the Forum’s theme, “Pathways to Sustainable Education Financing: Developing a Synergy Between Town and Gown,” Shettima said Nigeria must transition from traditional government-only funding to a model anchored on partnerships, innovation, industry participation, and community responsibility.
Shettima highlighted what he described as unprecedented growth in education funding under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
According to him, federal allocations have risen sharply over the last three years
He said that “key education agencies have recorded significant budget expansions. TETFUND, for example, saw its allocation increase from ₦320.3 billion in 2023 to ₦1.6 trillion in 2025, while UBEC expanded its reach with matching grants accessed by 25 states and the FCT.”
A major highlight of the Vice President’s speech was the progress recorded by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
He announced that the newly created scheme has already disbursed ₦86.3 billion to more than 450,000 students across 218 tertiary institutions, describing it as a “turning point” in ensuring equitable access to higher education.
VP Shettima stressed that government cannot bear the burden of reform alone, calling for a nationwide coalition from private-sector actors, industry leaders, alumni associations, philanthropists, local governments, and traditional institutions.
He further urged stakeholders to co-invest in research centres, innovation clusters, vocational hubs, laboratories, and endowments.
The VP also challenged universities to rebuild a strong endowment culture and strengthen alumni networks to enhance global competitiveness.
VP Shettima described the crisis of out-of-school children as a “national emergency”, calling for coordinated action to ensure safe learning environments, improved welfare for teachers, and expanded technical and vocational training.
“Education is not just a budget line; it is the foundation of our national identity, the engine of our economic transformation, and the shield of our collective security,” he declared.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said Nigeria’s youthful population, 43% under age 14 and 33% aged 15–24, presents both an opportunity and a challenge.
Represented by the Director-General of the Forum, Abdulateef Shittu, he expressed concern that Nigeria’s education spending remains at 3% of GDP, below the global benchmark of 4–6%.
Shittu also noted that national and subnational budgets still fall short of UNESCO’s recommended 15–20% allocation for education.
He said the NGF projects that two-thirds of Nigerian states will meet the 15% benchmark by the 2026 fiscal year but warned that debt servicing continues to undermine states’ capacity to invest in foundational learning, teachers, and technical education.
He said; “We must close the financing and execution gaps, we must modernise teaching and learning, strengthen accountability, and deepen partnerships across all levels of government and industry to ensure every Nigerian child can thrive in the 21st-century knowledge economy.”
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Education, Dr. Morufu Alausa, represented by the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Ahmad, urged states and local governments to align their education strategies with the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI).
He called for the construction of more junior and senior secondary schools and improved data reporting for full integration into the Nigerian Education Data Initiative (NEDI).