Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has called on governors of the 36 states and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to urgently utilise about ₦267 billion in released intervention funds and access more than ₦65 billion in counterpart funding available for basic education.
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Falana, who is Chairman of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), said the continued failure to utilise the funds undermines the right of Nigerian children to free and compulsory basic education.
In a statement dated October 13, 2026, the senior lawyer referred to a November 28, 2025 judgment of the Federal High Court in Femi Falana & Anor v. Attorney-General of the Federation & 36 Ors, Suit No. FHC/L/CS/142/24, which he said affirmed the obligation of the Federal Government, the 36 state governments and the FCT Administration to provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for children of primary and junior secondary school age.
Falana expressed concern over figures attributed to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), indicating that, as of August 2026, approximately ₦267 billion in released intervention funds remained unutilised, while more than ₦65 billion in counterpart funding had yet to be accessed by states.
The figures were reportedly disclosed by the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba, at the opening of a month-long technical capacity-building workshop organised under the World Bank-assisted HOPE-GOV Programme in Abuja.
The programme is aimed at strengthening budget planning and execution in the basic education and primary healthcare sectors across the 36 states and the FCT.
Falana urged state governments and the FCT Administration to urgently take the necessary steps to access and utilise the available funds in compliance with their statutory obligations under the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act.
He maintained that leaving such funds unused at a time when millions of children require access to education was inconsistent with the responsibility placed on governments to guarantee basic education.
The senior lawyer also called on the Federal Government to ensure that schoolchildren are provided with at least one meal daily as part of efforts to improve enrolment, attendance and nutrition.
According to him, the school feeding programme should be implemented in accordance with the National Social Investment Programme Agency Act.
With political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections intensifying, Falana also urged the media to demand clear commitments from registered political parties and their candidates on how they intend to implement existing laws guaranteeing free and compulsory basic education.
He said political parties and candidates should be required to explain how their proposed education policies would ensure that every Nigerian child of school age has access to basic education.
Falana further called for urgent measures to remove school-age children from the streets across the country, including the Federal Capital Territory.
He argued that Nigeria had sufficient resources to address the problem and that governments should no longer delay the implementation of existing laws and programmes designed to protect children’s right to education.
He maintained that proper utilisation of available intervention funds, access to outstanding counterpart funding and effective enforcement of existing education laws would help expand access to schooling and protect the educational rights of Nigerian children.
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