National Assembly’s Allocation Draws Criticism Amidst Calls for Education Reform

Federal lawmakers have significantly increased the budget of the National Assembly from the initial proposal of N197.93 billion by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to N344.48 billion. This approved budget exceeds the combined budgets of the 15 largest federal universities in Nigeria, which total N327.8 billion for 2024.

The disparity is notable as the National Assembly, with fewer personnel and capital projects, is set to spend more than eight teaching hospitals combined, which have a larger workforce and student population. The increase in the National Assembly’s budget comes alongside the approval of the Federal Government budget, which saw an increment from the initial N27.5 trillion proposed by the President to N28.7 trillion, a difference of about N1.2 trillion.

This development has raised concerns, especially considering the economic challenges faced by many Nigerians due to the government’s economic reforms. In contrast, the budget allocation for the eight teaching hospitals mentioned in the report is considerably lower, totaling just N190.8 billion, which is approximately N154 billion less than the National Assembly’s budget for 2024.

Among these hospitals, the Nnamdi Azikwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, has budgeted N37.6 billion, while the University College Hospital, Ibadan, has allocated N27.2 billion for the next year. Similarly, the cumulative budget of fifteen federal universities for their capital and recurrent expenditures in 2024, amounting to N327.8 billion, falls short of the National Assembly’s budget.

For instance, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, has a total budget of N36.6 billion, while the University of Calabar’s budget is N29.5 billion. Several non-governmental organizations have called for increased budgetary allocations to the education sector, emphasizing the importance of addressing the high number of out-of-school children in Nigeria. Despite the United Nations’ education goals, Nigeria still faces significant challenges in providing education to all children, with over 10 million out-of-school children in the country.

Additionally, there are concerns about the federal government’s budget allocation for education in 2024, which falls below UNESCO’s recommended range of 15 to 20 percent of the annual budget for the education sector.

Source: Daily Trust