The Federal Government has approved over ₦5.18 billion to strengthen school infrastructure and improve learning conditions across Nigeria, as part of a renewed push to address gaps in basic education delivery and reduce the number of out-of-school children.
Follow us on Google News
The funding, announced by the Universal Basic Education Commission during the national flag-off of the 2025 School-Based Management Committee–School Improvement Programme in Abuja, will be distributed across 518 communities spanning the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The intervention is positioned as one of the largest recent allocations targeted directly at underserved schools with severe infrastructure deficits.
Executive Secretary of UBEC, Aisha Garba, represented at the event by the Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical), Rasaq Akinyemi, said the rollout reflects the Federal Government’s sustained commitment to equitable access to education and improved outcomes at the foundational level. She noted that each state and the FCT will benefit from 14 schools under the 2025 cycle, with funds directed at addressing urgent physical and learning environment needs.
“The flag-off of the 2025 SBMC-SIP demonstrates unequivocally that the Federal Government remains unwavering in its commitment to equitable access, improved infrastructure, and enhanced learning outcomes at the basic education level,” she said.
Garba disclosed that the total allocation of ₦5.18 billion translates to direct support for community-driven projects aimed at rehabilitating dilapidated classrooms, providing essential furniture, and improving water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in public schools. According to her, the structure of the programme ensures that local communities play a central role in identifying priority needs and overseeing implementation.
She explained that “518 communities will receive a total sum of ₦5,180,000,000.00 as the total support funds earmarked for the 2025 SBMC-SIP implementation,” adding that the spread across states is designed to ensure nationwide impact while prioritising areas with the most pressing deficits.
The event also featured the disbursement of ₦434.5 million as final tranche funding for projects under the 2023 and 2024 cycles of the programme. UBEC said the release will support the completion of 11,484 ongoing projects across the country, consolidating previous interventions and ensuring that existing initiatives deliver measurable outcomes.
“Today’s disbursement of the 2023 and 2024 SBMC-SIP final tranche support fund in the sum of ₦434,500,000 will enable beneficiary schools to complete 11,484 ongoing projects across the country,” Garba stated.
Beyond infrastructure upgrades, the commission introduced a new Learners’ Retention Programme, aimed at addressing non-physical barriers that keep children out of school or lead to early dropout. The initiative, which will target one million learners across eight states in its first phase, is backed by a ₦5 billion budget and is expected to provide targeted support to vulnerable households.
UBEC said the retention programme complements the SBMC-SIP by focusing on the socio-economic realities affecting school attendance, including poverty, household pressures and other systemic challenges. The commission noted that while infrastructure improvements remain critical, sustained enrolment and completion rates require additional interventions that directly support learners and their families.
Garba emphasised that since the inception of the SBMC-SIP, the commission has recorded significant progress in expanding access and improving school conditions. She disclosed that 1,112 schools have benefited from the programme nationwide, with over 13,670 projects initiated across participating communities and more than ₦1.5 billion disbursed over multiple cycles.
She added that an estimated 400,000 children have already benefited from improved learning environments created through these interventions, underscoring the scale and reach of the programme.
The Executive Secretary also stressed the importance of accountability in the utilisation of funds, noting that project implementation follows a structured process involving community sensitisation, verification, capacity training and continuous monitoring. She said UBEC works closely with State Universal Basic Education Boards and School-Based Management Committees to ensure compliance with established guidelines.
Chairman of the UBEC Board, Umaru Al-Makura, reinforced the need for transparency and community ownership, stating that government efforts alone are insufficient to deliver quality education without active participation at the grassroots level.
“Government alone cannot deliver quality education without active community ownership,” he said, describing the disbursed funds as a trust placed in communities to improve schools and learning conditions.
Al-Makura cautioned that the funds must be tied to clearly defined plans and measurable outcomes, warning against misuse or diversion. “These funds are not for random spending. They must be tied to clear plans that deliver meaningful impact and improve the well-being of our children,” he said, adding that regular monitoring would be conducted to ensure compliance.
He further urged communities to adopt sustainable strategies to address persistent challenges such as poverty and early withdrawal from school, noting that long-term impact depends on both infrastructure and consistent learner participation.
Representing the Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa, Director of Basic Education at the ministry, Dr Folake Davies, said the combined interventions reflect the Federal Government’s alignment with national education priorities and global development goals, particularly in reducing the out-of-school population.
She explained that the completion of ongoing projects under previous cycles, alongside the rollout of new initiatives in 2025, is expected to strengthen teaching and learning conditions while supporting broader education reforms.
Alausa noted that the final tranche disbursement for 2023 and 2024 would enable schools to complete projects, procure learning materials and consolidate earlier gains, while the 2025 allocation would drive new infrastructure improvements across underserved areas.
“Education transformation cannot be driven from the centre alone,” he said, stressing the importance of stakeholder collaboration in ensuring the success of the programmes. He described the Learners’ Retention Programme as a targeted intervention aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school children, particularly in states with high enrolment gaps.
He added that the impact of the interventions must be both visible and measurable across communities. “The impact of these interventions must be visible, not just on paper, must be very visible in your states, in all the local governments, in every school, must be visible, must be measurable, and transformative,” he said.
Nigeria’s basic education system continues to rely significantly on federal intervention funds managed by UBEC, with implementation carried out in collaboration with state governments and local communities. In recent years, policy focus has expanded beyond infrastructure deficits to include challenges related to enrolment and retention.
Economic hardship, insecurity in parts of the country and broader social pressures have continued to contribute to the high number of out-of-school children, prompting increased emphasis on programmes that combine infrastructure development with direct learner support.
The latest ₦5.18 billion allocation and the introduction of the Learners’ Retention Programme signal a shift towards a more integrated approach, where physical improvements in schools are matched with efforts to address the underlying factors that keep children out of classrooms.
