Jigawa Government Clarifies Education Spending, Says N29bn Was Spent

The Jigawa State Government has reacted to a report from TheCable titled "Kano, Lagos, and Delta led states in education spending in Q1 2026." The report claimed that Jigawa State spent nothing on education in the first quarter of 2026.

Other online news platforms picked up this claim, spreading the misinformation further. This figure does not match the official financial records from the Jigawa State Government.

To correct this, the Jigawa State Government wants to clarify the facts. They aim to stop the public from believing false information. When one platform publishes a figure, it can quickly spread and seem true to many people.

According to the Jigawa State Government Budget Performance Report for Q1 2026, the state had a total budget of ₦231,768,563,000.00 for education. During the first quarter, they actually spent ₦29,193,742,109.44. This amount represents 12.6% of the original budget. It is recorded under "Function 709, Education."

This figure is found in the State's Q1 2026 Budget Performance Report. This report has been on the Ministry of Budget's website since April and is open for everyone to review. Therefore, it is not right to claim, without solid proof, that Jigawa State spent nothing on education during this time.

The Budget Performance Report gives a detailed breakdown of education spending during the quarter:

• For Pre-Primary and Primary Education, the report shows an original budget of ₦83,701,075,000.00 and actual Q1 spending of ₦10,167,982,643.91, which is 12.1% performance.

• For Secondary Education, the original budget was ₦39,477,425,000.00, while actual Q1 spending was ₦3,639,861,420.60, showing 9.2% performance.

• For Post-Secondary Non-Tertiary Education, the budget was ₦830,000,000.00, but no spending was recorded in Q1.

• For Tertiary Education, the original budget was ₦59,326,983,000.00, with actual Q1 spending of ₦4,936,760,317.06, which is 8.3% performance.

The report also records spending under other education categories. This includes Education Not Definable by Level, Subsidiary Services to Education, Research and Development in Education, and Education Not Elsewhere Classified.

The official Budget Performance Report shows ₦14,592,927,557.31 was spent on Education Personnel in Q1, against a budget of ₦70,791,132,000.00, which is 20.6% performance.

The personnel spending includes:

• ₦8,455,248,416.48 for Pre-Primary and Primary Education;

• ₦2,578,868,461.51 for Secondary Education;

• ₦2,668,664,891.93 for Tertiary Education;

• ₦617,415,428.00 for Education Not Definable by Level;

• ₦14,747,725.56 for Research and Development in Education; and

• ₦257,982,633.82 for Education Not Elsewhere Classified.

The report also shows ₦13,420,867,252.18 in Q1 capital expenditure under Education, with an original capital budget of ₦151,082,766,000.00, which is 8.9% performance.

The capital spending included:

• ₦1,624,987,639.09 for Pre-Primary and Primary Education;

• ₦447,415,637.47 for Secondary Education;

• ₦0.00 for Post-Secondary Non-Tertiary Education;

• ₦1,790,999,392.79 for Tertiary Education;

• ₦0.00 for Education Not Definable by Level;

• ₦724,144,119.00 for Subsidiary Services to Education;

• ₦0.00 for Research and Development in Education; and

• ₦8,833,320,463.83 for Education Not Elsewhere Classified.

The breakdown shows ₦10,167,982,643.91 was spent on Pre-Primary and Primary Education.

The administrative spending details include:

• ₦14,224,900.00 for the Ministry of Basic Education;

• ₦333,577,416.70 for the Nomadic Education Agency;

• ₦1,885,610,980.38 for the State Universal Basic Education Board;

• ₦76,267,168.99 for Inspectorate Headquarters & Zones;

• ₦7,854,136,078.65 for Local Education Authority; and

• ₦4,166,099.19 for the Jigawa State Tsangaya Education Board.

The Jigawa State Government is open to any scrutiny of its spending and performance. They do not claim that every education budget line had spending in the first quarter. Some categories showed no spending, while others had different levels of implementation. But this is different from saying Jigawa State spent nothing on education.

The official Q1 2026 Budget Performance Report shows ₦29,193,742,109.44 was spent on education.

Given these facts, the Jigawa State Government believes it is necessary for TheCable, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, and other media that shared the zero figure to explain how they arrived at that number or correct their mistake.

Questions needing answers include: What financial document did they use to get the zero figure? What definition of "education spending" did they apply? Was the Jigawa State Q1 2026 Budget Performance Report available to them? How does the zero figure match the ₦29,193,742,109.44 recorded in the state’s official report?

The Jigawa State Government is not asking the public to trust only their statement. The Jigawa State Budget Performance Report for Q1 2026 is open for public review. Journalists, researchers, civil society groups, and the public can download and check the report directly.

The official report shows that Jigawa State spent ₦29,193,742,109.44 on education. It was not zero.