Ashiru needs lesson in education funding — Kaduna Commissioner

Kaduna State Government has rebuked ADC governorship candidate, Alhaji Isa Mohammed Ashiru, for his criticism of Governor Uba Sani’s dedication to education. The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, stated that while Ashiru is free to voice his concerns, he should rely on accurate information. Maiyaki corrected Ashiru's assertion that UNESCO suggests governments should allocate 15-20% of their budgets to education, explaining that the Education 2030 Framework for Action endorses at least 4-6% of Gross Domestic Product or 25% of total public expenditure for education.

According to Maiyaki, Kaduna State has consistently allocated 25% of its budget to education for the past three years, investing approximately N246.5 billion in 2026 alone. He highlighted that this investment has yielded positive outcomes in basic education, tertiary education, and skills development. The National Board for Technical Education has also recognized three Skills Development and Vocational Training Centres established by Governor Sani as the best-equipped and structured skills training facilities in Nigeria.

Maiyaki noted that the state has managed to reduce its out-of-school children population from over 550,000 to 187,719 within three years, thanks to sustained investments, enrolment campaigns, and infrastructure development. He also pointed out that the Federal Government has utilized Kaduna State's model for developing national interventions on skills training and addressing the out-of-school children challenge.

The commissioner revealed that the Uba Sani administration has provided substantial financial support to Kaduna State University (KASU), including over N800 million for staff welfare, about N146 million for withheld salaries and SIWES-related obligations, and a N50 million monthly standing intervention. Additionally, the government provided more than N200 million for overhead support to the university in 2026, over N300 million for accreditation of academic programmes, and more than N1.6 billion to scholarships and other student-support programmes, along with a 50% reduction in tuition fees across state-owned tertiary institutions.