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The National Commission on Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education has come under scrutiny after allocating $8.4 billion in the 2026 appropriations bill for road construction projects, a responsibility that critics say falls outside its statutory mandate.
An analysis of the approved budget showed that the commission, established to address the out-of-school children crisis in Nigeria, has allocated billions of naira for the construction and rehabilitation of roads in Ogun, Katsina and Ekiti states, along with other projects including ambulances, dental equipment and solar street lights.
The development has raised concerns among transparency advocates and budget experts, who have warned that the practice reflects growing distortions in Nigeria’s budget process and could weaken the accountability of public institutions.
The commission received a total allocation of 22.82 billion naira in the 2026 budget, with 21.68 billion naira earmarked for capital expenditure and 1.14 billion naira for recurring costs.
However, rather than focusing spending on education interventions, several capital projects included in the budget focus on road infrastructure and health facilities.
A budget review revealed that the commission allocated $1.4 billion for the rehabilitation and construction of Eyinni High School – Lusada Junction Road, Ibooro; Idiya Central Community Road, Abeokuta; Ile Ise Asuje Road Community; and Soyoye Community Road in Ogun State.
Another N1.05 billion was allocated for the rehabilitation of Pakoiji-Iporan Township Road in Ipokia District 2, while a similar amount was allocated for the construction of RCCs facing Honda Agbebi Community Road and Ajuwon Baale Road.
The commission also voted $1.4 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of Obasanjo Itele Road, Nazareth Road, Oke Ola, Imeko, Idogo Township Road and Odedeyo-Mewuro Road in Ogun State.
In Katsina State, it allocated $2.1 billion for internal roads in the communities of Dan Marke, Sabon Gari Yargoje and Sharada Burburga.
He also allocated 1.4 billion naira for internal roads within the Government Science College, Iyin, Ekiti State, along with 700 million naira for ambulances, furniture, dental X-ray machines and dental chairs for a dental center in the community.
Another 700 million naira has been allocated for the installation of solar street lights in communities within Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State, while another 700 million naira has been allocated for women and youth empowerment tools in the same area.
The commission was created through an Act of Parliament dated 27 May 2023, under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Education to address the challenge of Almajiri and out-of-school children across Nigeria.
Its statutory responsibilities include coordinating Almajiri education programmes, supporting states in integrating formal education and the Quran, providing teaching materials, teacher training, school feeding programmes, scholarships and enforcing child protection measures.
Neither road construction nor health infrastructure are among the legally assigned functions.
Under existing laws, road construction and maintenance are primarily the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, while medical infrastructure falls under the jurisdiction of health institutions.
Contacted, the commission’s executive secretary, Dr Muhammad Sani Idris, said he could not immediately comment on budgetary allocations.
“Today is Sunday, but if you can give me some time, I will contact my budget office to get all the details. I would appreciate it if we could discuss this during the week so we can provide the complete information you requested,” he said.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Federation Budget Office were unsuccessful, as its head of media and public relations, Afolabi Olajuwon, did not respond to phone calls or text messages.
However, a senior Budget Office official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the agency merely collects budget proposals from ministries, departments and agencies.
According to the source, projects that fall outside an agency’s statutory mandate are often introduced during budget consideration in the National Assembly, often as constituency projects.
“They call them election projects and since the government cannot fund them directly through the National Assembly, they use agencies as proxies. If an agency resists, its budget approval could be delayed or frustrated,” the source said.
A member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, who wished to remain anonymous, described the practice as longstanding, saying lawmakers often appoint federal agencies to carry out campaign projects regardless of their statutory responsibilities.
The executive director of the Civil Society Center for Legislative Advocacy (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, condemned the earmarks, describing them as evidence of a “mandate distortion” in the management of public finances.
He warned that assigning road construction projects to an education-focused commission undermines institutional efficiency, weakens accountability and diverts scarce resources from addressing Nigeria’s education crisis.
According to him, agencies established for specific purposes should not be burdened with responsibilities outside their legal mandates.
Likewise, the Executive Director of the Center for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity, Dr Umar Yakubu, said the commission should prioritize interventions aimed at reducing the 20 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, instead of carrying out road projects.
He argued that awarding non-education-related infrastructure projects raises concerns about transparency and accountability, adding that expensive road contracts often create opportunities for financial abuse.
Reacting, Gombe Network of Civil Society Organizations Chairman Ibrahim Yusuf also described the budget provisions as another example of misplaced priorities and called for a comprehensive review of allocations.
He urged the Executive, the National Assembly and oversight institutions to investigate what he called distortions in the national budget and to ensure that public funds are spent strictly in line with the legal mandates of government agencies.
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