As Nigeria approaches the 2026 fiscal year, a leading academic has issued a clarion call for the Federal Government to fundamentally re-prioritize its budgetary allocations, placing massive, strategic investment in the education sector at the forefront of national policy.
Funding as the Foundation for Stability and Growth
Professor Remi Alarape, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Ibadan, made this urgent appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ota, Ogun State. He argued that sustained and significant funding is not merely an administrative task but the critical linchpin for resolving systemic crises and unlocking national potential.
Professor Alarape directly linked the perennial, disruptive conflicts between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to chronic underfunding. “Adequate funding addresses the root causes of industrial disputes—inadequate infrastructure, poor staff welfare, and decaying research facilities,” he explained. “When the education system is financially healthy, it fosters a stable academic environment conducive to teaching, learning, and groundbreaking research.”
The UNESCO Benchmark: A Gap Analysis for Nigeria
The professor grounded his argument in a stark, quantitative reality. He cited the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) benchmark, which recommends that developing nations allocate between 15% to 20% of their annual national budget to education.
“Our proposed allocation for the 2026 budget stands at N3.52 trillion, which represents approximately 6.1% of the total budget,” Alarape stated. “This figure is not just lower than the UNESCO benchmark; it is catastrophically insufficient. It highlights a profound gap between our national aspirations and the practical investment required to achieve them. This deficit directly translates to overcrowded classrooms, outdated laboratories, and a brain drain of talented educators seeking better-resourced environments abroad.”
From Cost to Investment: Education as the Engine of Development
Moving beyond the problem, Professor Alarape framed education spending not as a cost, but as the most strategic investment a nation can make. “A massively and wisely funded education sector is the non-negotiable prerequisite for the holistic national development we desire,” he asserted.
He pointed to the model of “knowledge economies” enjoyed by developed nations. In these countries, heavy investment in education creates a virtuous cycle: it produces a highly skilled workforce, drives innovation and technological adoption, attracts foreign direct investment, and fuels sustainable economic growth. “The dividends are multifaceted,” he noted. “They include reduced poverty, improved public health, stronger civic institutions, and greater global competitiveness. Every naira invested in education yields exponential returns across all sectors of society.”
The Path Forward for 2026
The professor’s call is a challenge to policymakers to view the 2026 budget as a pivotal opportunity for course correction. It necessitates a move beyond token increases to a deliberate, benchmark-driven strategy that aligns Nigeria’s financial commitments with its developmental goals.
This would involve not just increasing the percentage allocation but also ensuring transparency and efficiency in the disbursement and utilization of funds. Investment must be targeted at critical areas: teacher training and remuneration, curriculum modernization to include digital skills, provision of learning materials, and revitalization of research grants.
As Professor Alarape’s analysis makes clear, the quality of Nigeria’s future in 2026 and the decades to follow will be irrevocably shaped by the investment choices made in its classrooms, lecture halls, and research centers today. The time for strategic, massive investment is now.
Reported by Ige Adekunle for NAN. Edited by Moses Solanke.
