North-east States' Education Budgets for 2026 Revealed

Six states in Nigeria’s North-east have set aside N546.1 billion for education in their 2026 budgets. But none of these states met the 26 percent education spending target set by Nigeria’s National Policy on Education.

The states are Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe.

Nigeria’s National Policy on Education recommends a 26 percent allocation to education. The National Policy on Enhancement of Almajiri Education from 2025 requires proper funding for integrating Almajiri children into formal learning.

The budget allocations show big differences in how much priority each state gives to education. There are also wide gaps in how well states used their 2025 education budgets.

A review of the 2026 budgets by PREMIUM TIMES found that while some states set aside large amounts for building schools, scholarships, and improving tertiary institutions, the provisions for Almajiri education are limited in Adamawa, Borno, and Taraba.

Integrating Almajiri children into schools is vital due to the high number of out-of-school children in northern Nigeria. The federal government is also concerned about the Almajiri system.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said in January 2025 that Nigeria needs more money to deal with the Almajiri and out-of-school children issue. He noted that only a few of the over 100 schools built for Almajiri children are still operating.

A recent review of North-west budgets by PREMIUM TIMES found big differences among states in funding for Almajiri education. Some states had specific allocations, while others had none.

Adamawa Leads in Education Budget

Adamawa allocated N113.38 billion to education from its N583.33 billion 2026 budget. This is 19.4 percent of the total budget.

Major allocations include N3.55 billion for foreign scholarships, N1.23 billion for student scholarships, N3.9 billion for a College of Medical Sciences complex, and N3.5 billion for the Faculty of Engineering complex at Adamawa State University, Mubi.

The state also set aside N2 billion for WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, and Basic Certificate Examination fees. N3.75 billion is allocated as start-up funding for the Adamawa State College of Technology.

However, PREMIUM TIMES did not find any specific provision for Almajiri education in the 2026 budget.

The 2025 education budget in Adamawa raises concerns. The state budgeted N102 billion for education but spent only N47.93 billion, which is about 47 percent performance.

Bauchi Allocates 15.1 Percent to Education

Bauchi earmarked N131.72 billion for education from its N877.05 billion 2026 budget. This is 15.01 percent of the total.

The budget includes N2.29 billion for rehabilitating 1,003 schools and N2.3 billion for buying 4,500 chairs and tables for upper secondary schools.

Bauchi also allocated N2 billion for building a perimeter wall at Sa’adu Zungur University. N758.5 million is for the Bauchi State Agency for Nomadic Education, which also supports Almajiri education.

In 2025, Bauchi spent N50.28 billion out of a budgeted N64.98 billion for education, which is 77.4 percent implementation.

Borno Has Lowest Almajiri Education Provision

Borno’s 2026 budget is N892.45 billion, with N134.90 billion set for education. This is 15.1 percent of the total budget.

The biggest projects include N17 billion for building large public secondary schools and N11 billion for fixing 25 public schools in the state’s three senatorial districts.

Borno made a capital provision of N3.4 million for Nomadic Education, which has the lowest allocation for Almajiri education in the region.

In 2025, Borno spent N57.78 billion out of N74.62 billion budgeted for education, meaning a 77.4 percent performance.

Gombe Allocates the Least but Leads in Almajiri Education

Gombe allocated N71.89 billion for education, which is 11.6 percent of its N617.95 billion 2026 budget, the lowest among the six states.

The state allocated N7 billion for six new model secondary schools and another N7 billion for upgrading 537 secondary schools.

Gombe set aside N1 billion for building three schools to integrate Almajiri children.

In 2025, Gombe spent N32.2 billion from a budget of N46.71 billion for education, achieving 68.9 percent performance.

Taraba Ranks Second but Has Implementation Concerns

Taraba allocated N114.44 billion to education from its N653.63 billion 2026 budget, which is 17.5 percent and second to Adamawa in the region.

Plans include N1 billion for a 600-capacity lecture theatre at Taraba State University’s Suntai campus. Another N1 billion is for female hostels at various educational institutions.

The largest allocations go to basic and secondary school infrastructure. Taraba provided N18 billion for 30 model secondary schools and N16 billion for 30 model primary schools.

Yet, PREMIUM TIMES found no specific provision for Almajiri education. Taraba’s 2025 education spending was not as strong as that of Bauchi and Borno. The state spent N48.88 billion from a budget of N118.17 billion, showing only 41 percent performance.

Yobe Shows Strong Performance

Yobe allocated N79.79 billion for education from its N515.53 billion 2026 budget, which is 15.5 percent.

The state budgeted N6 billion for building 25 new junior and senior secondary schools. Another N4.5 billion is for fixing 79 existing schools.

Yobe made a clear provision of N612.66 million for Almajiri education. It also had the best education budget performance among the six states in 2025.

Yobe spent N43.4 billion out of a budget of N43.44 billion for education, achieving almost 100 percent implementation.

Funding Versus Implementation

The numbers show a constant problem in education funding: a large allocation does not always mean actual spending.

Taraba had 17.5 percent of its 2026 budget for education but only implemented 41 percent of its 2025 budget. Adamawa recorded 47 percent performance. Yobe, with a smaller education budget, achieved almost full spending.

Bauchi and Borno both recorded around 77.4 percent implementation, while Gombe achieved 68.9 percent.

These differences are important because previous analyses have shown that increased allocations need to match actual spending to make real improvements in schools. The review of the 2026 federal education budget also found major issues with implementation, including low capital releases in 2025.

The North-east figures show that none of the six states reached the 26 percent education benchmark used in the regional budget analyses. In the North-west, only Kano met the benchmark in its 2026 budget.

The treatment of Almajiri education varies. Only Gombe, Yobe, and Bauchi have clear budget provisions for this education among the six states.

For the other states, the lack of identifiable Almajiri allocations makes it hard to see the scale and commitment of the government from the published budgets.

This is especially relevant in a region where education authorities are under pressure to bring out-of-school children into education.

At the national level, the federal government has admitted that the Almajiri and out-of-school children crisis needs cooperation with state governments.

In the North-east, the 2026 budgets show a mixed picture: there are significant provisions but uneven execution and limited funding for integrating Almajiri children into education. The key question is not just how much states budget for education but how much is really spent and if it reaches the children who need it most.