The National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education has defended the inclusion of projects outside its core mandate in the 2026 budget, saying they are constituency projects assigned to it for implementation by the National Assembly.
The clarification followed public scrutiny over budgetary provisions showing the commission earmarked to execute projects considered unrelated to its statutory responsibilities.
In a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by the Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Executive Secretary, Nura Muhammad, the commission said the projects formed part of the 2026 Appropriation Act and were allocated to it under the Federal Government’s long-standing practice of assigning constituency projects to Ministries, Departments and Agencies for execution.
According to the commission, the projects are lawful components of the approved national budget and will be implemented in line with existing financial regulations and procurement laws.
“As part of the duly enacted federal budget, every project assigned to the commission formed part of its implementation responsibilities and would be executed in strict compliance with extant laws, financial regulations and due procurement processes,” the statement read.
The commission stressed that the allocation of such projects does not alter its statutory mandate, insisting that its primary responsibility remains the reform of the Almajiri education system and addressing Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis.
It said it would continue to focus on expanding access to quality education, strengthening Almajiri education, supporting states and other stakeholders, and implementing programmes targeted at improving the welfare of vulnerable children.
Highlighting its achievements, the commission disclosed that it has identified and profiled more than 700,000 out-of-school children across the country and established 119 learning centres nationwide.
It also said it has sustained ward-to-ward advocacy and community mobilisation while driving the implementation of the National Policy on Almajiri Education to reform the system and curb social vices associated with it.
The commission reiterated that tackling the growing population of Almajiri and out-of-school children remains its top priority.
It also expressed appreciation to the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, and other stakeholders for supporting its programmes.
The clarification comes amid heightened public interest in constituency projects contained in the 2026 Appropriation Act after reports raised questions over the inclusion of road and other infrastructure projects in the commission’s budget despite its education-focused mandate.
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