Nigeria Invests Only 2.14% of GDP in Education, Says Chidoka
Nigeria’s total public investment in education stands at only 2.14 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2026, falling well below the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommended benchmark of four to six per cent for developing countries, according to a new analysis presented by former Aviation Minister Osita Chidoka.
Speaking at the 70th anniversary gala of Ekulu Primary School Alumni Association (EPSAA) in Enugu at the weekend, Chidoka described the situation as a “national emergency.” The analysis, compiled by the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, consolidated federal education spending, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) interventions, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) allocations, and education budgets of all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The combined figure of approximately ₦9.49 trillion represents just 2.14 per cent of Nigeria’s projected 2026 GDP of ₦442.8 trillion.
According to the report, several economies currently outperform Nigeria. South Africa spends 6.7 per cent of GDP on education, Brazil 5.6 per cent, Kenya 4.8 per cent, India 4.1 per cent, and Ghana 3.4 per cent. “Nigeria is not in the middle of the developing world on this measure. It is below its floor,” Chidoka stated in his keynote titled “Ekulu at 70: How One School Tells the Nigerian Story of Decline and the Duty of Renewal.” “We have been treating this as a routine budget conversation for too long.”
The analysis identified Anambra State as having the highest education allocation in the federation, dedicating 46.9 per cent of its 2026 budget to the sector. Enugu State followed with 32.2 per cent and is implementing its Smart Green Schools initiative across all political wards. Other states cited include Kano, Lagos, Kaduna, Katsina and Abia, which together are projected to spend about ₦1.8 trillion on education in 2026.
However, the report noted that Lagos State allocated only 5.6 per cent of its total budget to education. According to the Athena Centre, Enugu’s education budget in dollar terms is now approximately twice that of Lagos, a dramatic shift from 2000 when Lagos reportedly spent more than six times what Enugu allocated.
Chidoka traced the roots of the crisis to the economic adjustment era between 1986 and 1999, a period he described as Nigeria’s “years of the locust.” The report revealed that a Nigerian professor’s monthly salary dropped from about $1,000 in 1985 to $137 by 1997, while Lagos State’s real per-pupil spending declined from $281 in 1980 to $22 in 1990.
He argued that the greater failure occurred after Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, when successive governments failed to reverse the decline. “The reform of Nigerian public education is no longer waiting to be born,” he said. “It is being led, not from Abuja, not from Lagos, but from a handful of states.”
Chidoka challenged the alumni association to undertake three projects over three years: a data-driven learning dashboard, a teacher development fund, and integration into the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN). “Let’s Get It Done is not charity. It is repayment,” he said.
Ekulu Primary School, founded in 1956 as All Saints School by Reverend Timothy Bruce Fyffe of the Church of England, predates Nigeria’s independence and remains one of Enugu State’s longstanding public primary institutions.