Nigerian states recorded an average of 66.9 percent of their education budget implementation in 2025, according to the latest State of States report released by BudgIT.
The report highlights gradual improvements in fiscal discipline and governance across several states despite prevailing economic challenges.
According to the report BudgIT, Nigeria’s leading civic-tech organisation promoting fiscal transparency and accountability, in social sectors, implementation remains uneven.
‘For education, states budgeted N2.41 trillion but spent only N1.61 trillion, achieving 66.9 percent implementation. Out of the 36 states, nine states, Edo, Delta, Katsina, Rivers, Yobe, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Bauchi, and Osun, exceeded 80 percent of their budgeted allocations, with Edo, Delta, and Katsina surpassing 100 percent.’
Besides, the report indicates that average per capita spending remained low at N6,981, with no state exceeding N20,000 per capita and only eight states above N10,000.
Meanwhile, in health, states budgeted N1.32 trillion but expended N816.64 billion, achieving 61.9 percent implementation.
Seven states, Yobe, Gombe, Ekiti, Lagos, Edo, Delta, and Bauchi-spent over 80 percent of their health budgets, with Yobe leading at 98.2 percent, though total expenditures remained modest.
Average per capita spending was N3,483, with only a few states exceeding N5,000, highlighting significant gaps in service delivery relative to education.
Some states exceeded international/UNESCO-recommended benchmarks about 20 to 26 percent for education spending in their state budgets:
Enugu State, for instance, spent 33 percent of its budget in 2024, and Jigawa State spent 26.4 percent of its 2025 proposed budget went to education.
On the other hand, many states still fall significantly short of these benchmarks; some states allocate less than six to seven percent to education.
Nubi Achebo, director of academic planning at Nigerian University of Technology and Management (NUTM), described the 66.9 percent education budget implementation rate by Nigerian states as a mixed bag.
He said while this indicates some progress, it does not necessarily translate to adequate funding per student or achievement of educational goals.