Nigeria's Almajiri Commission Budget Misused for Roads and Health Projects

The 2026 Nigerian budget allocated N8.4 billion to the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education for projects unrelated to its education mandate, including road construction in Ogun, Katsina and Ekiti states, as well as ambulances, dental X‑ray machines, dental chairs, solar street lights and empowerment tools.

The commission says the projects were inserted by National Assembly members as constituency projects, a practice criticised as “mandate distortion” that weakens institutional specialisation and undermines fiscal accountability. Critics such as Auwal Rafsanjani of Transparency International Nigeria highlighted the mismatch between the commission’s statutory role—coordinating education interventions for millions of out‑of‑school children—and the newly funded infrastructure and health initiatives.

The allocation raises concerns over the diversion of resources from urgent education needs for Nigeria’s estimated 15‑20 million out‑of‑school children, spotlighting broader issues in the country’s budgeting process.