Nigeria expects $125m from London Summit to boost education sector: Minister

*This is the largest Nigeria has ever got from the Education Summit in London; it is a fantastic one for us, says Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Minister of State for Education

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

As part of the support funds being disbursed to countries at the recent Education Summit in London, United Kingdom (UK), Nigeria is expected to receive $125 million to boost the much troubled education sector in the country.

Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Honourable Minister of State for Education, disclosed this Tuesday, August 3, 2021, while featuring on a Channels TV programme monitored in Lagos.

The Minister noted that the money forms part of funds being disbursed to participating countries in the last Education Summit that took place in London, the UK.

Nwajiuba said: “$125 million will be coming to Nigeria.”

“We thank the President for showing up because his presence made all the difference. This is the largest Nigeria has ever gotten from this summit. It is a fantastic one for us.

“We also have the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education who is going to be on the board who is going to then make sure that we allocate the money to states where we have our biggest problems.”

ConsumerConnect had reported ahead of the Summit Wednesday, July 28 in the UK, that President Muhammadu Buhari pledged to jack up the budget for the education sector by as much as 50 percent over the next two years.

Buhari also disclosed that in the long term, his administration promised that budgetary allocation to the sector would witness a progressive increase to about 100 percent in four years.

Mr. Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement said that he made the commitment in a document titled, “Heads of State Call to Action on Education Financing Ahead of the Global Education Summit”.

Buhari had noted: “We commit to progressively increase our annual domestic education expenditure by 50 percent over the next two years and up to 100 percent by 2025 beyond the 20% global benchmark.”