Despite oil windfall, South-south states miss 26% education funding benchmark in 2026 budgets

Despite being major beneficiaries of the oil revenue windfall, all the south-south states failed to meet the 26 per cent education funding benchmark in their 2026 budgets.

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The Federal Ministry of Education’s National Policy on Education in Nigeria prescribes a 26 per cent allocation benchmark for both federal and subnational governments.

PREMIUM TIMES analysis of the approved budgets shows that none of the states in the region allocated up to the recommended threshold to education, covering personnel, overhead and capital expenditure.

The states are Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Edo and Rivers.

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The findings stand in stark contrast to the situation in the South-east region, where states with comparatively lower revenues have made stronger commitments to education spending.

Enugu State, for instance, allocated N521.87 billion to education in its 2026 budget, a 32.21 per cent of its total expenditure, surpassing the national benchmark. Abia and Ebonyi states also posted higher percentages than their south-south counterparts.

Delta tops, but is less than half of the benchmark

In Delta State, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori earmarked N207.27 billion for education out of a N1.73 trillion budget for 2026, representing 11.98 per cent.

Delta’s allocation is the highest among South-south states, both in absolute terms and as a percentage, yet it remains less than half the national benchmark.

The largest education allocation in terms of project was a N24 billion earmarked for the upgrade and special intervention in higher institutions, an ongoing project that had already consumed N9.88 billion as of September 2025.

In 2025, the state allocated N159.07 billion (11.64 per cent) to education but achieved only 52.6 per cent budget performance, spending N83.72 billion.

Notably, Delta recorded a revenue surplus of N1.03 trillion in 2025, generating N2.21 trillion against a projected N1.179 trillion revenue captured in its approved budget. Despite this, education spending did not significantly improve.

Akwa Ibom records low funding plan amid weak transparency

Governor Umo Eno’s 2026 budget allocated N94.41 billion to education out of N1.158 trillion, representing just 8.15 per cent. In the region, Akwa Ibom ranks second-highest in the prevalence of out-of-school children at 10.6 per cent.

Key projects for the education sector include N10 billion for three pilot model secondary schools and additional provisions for seven model primary schools across local government areas.

In contrast with what is obtainable in other states, Akwa Ibom did not include a budget performance report within its 2026 approved budget. This made it difficult to assess the level of implementation of the model schools that is being executed by the state.

The same opacity was observed in the budget performance report for 2025, when N61.61 billion, which is 3.73 per cent of the N1.65 trillion budget, was allocated to education.

The state had a revenue of N1.51 trillion in 2025 but there is no publicly available performance data to assess the level of implementation.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that under Mr Eno, Akwa Ibom has slipped deeper into fiscal secrecy.

Cross River’s low education budget

In Cross River, led by Governor Bassey Otu, N92.74 billion was allocated to education in 2026, representing 9.6 per cent of the N961.62 billion budget.

The largest project is the construction of 54 classroom blocks in public secondary schools at a cost of N6.48 billion.

In 2025, Cross River allocated N59.02 billion (9.2 per cent) but spent only N19.37 billion, achieving 32.8 per cent performance. The state generated N325.35 billion in revenue.

Bayelsa earmarks low allocation but high performance in 2025

Governor Douye Diri allotted N76.7 billion for education in 2026, representing 7.52 per cent of the N1.02 trillion budget.

Top projects include multiple classroom constructions and administrative buildings valued at N19.8 billion.

In 2025, Bayelsa demonstrated strong budget implementation, spending N87.21 billion out of N95.64 billion allocated, representing 91.2 per cent performance. However, the allocation itself remained low at 7.36 per cent of the total budget.

Edo’s low commitment to education

Edo State, under Governor Monday Okpebholo, allocated N59.72 billion to education in 2026, representing just 6.35 per cent of its N939.85 billion budget. In South-south, Edo has the highest prevalence of out-of-school children at 11.3 per cent.

The largest single allocation is N5 billion for arrears related to school construction contracts.

In 2025, the state budgeted N49.19 billion (6.2 per cent) and spent N37.16 billion, achieving 75.5 per cent performance, with total revenue of N560.31 billion.

Rivers: Data gap stalls 2026 education assessment

For Rivers State, led by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, no 2026 budget document is publicly available due to the political crisis in the state.

However, in 2025, the state allocated N186.94 billion to education out of a N1.18 trillion budget. This is 15.84 per cent of the budget. Although this tops among South-south states in 2025, it is still below the national benchmark.