The National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education earmarked N8.4 billion in the 2026 budget for road construction, which is outside its statutory mandate.

Details of the 2026 Appropriations Act show that the commission was allocated N22.82 billion, comprising N21.68 billion for capital expenditure and N1.14 billion for recurrent expenditure.

The agency also budgeted for several other off-mandate projects, including the procurement of ambulances and medical equipment and the installation of solar power facilities.

The projects are located in Ogun, Ekiti and Katsina States.

The commission was established by an Act of Parliament on May 27, 2023, under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Education.

Its mandate is to tackle the challenge of out-of-school children and reduce illiteracy by integrating formal and Qur’anic education and skills acquisition into its curriculum.

According to the National Policy on the Enhancement of Almajiri Education in Nigeria, the document that sets out the agency’s objectives and operational framework, the commission is expected to provide overall coordination, strategic direction and oversight for the implementation of the policy.

It works with state governments to register all Alarammas (teachers) and learning centres, mobilise resources, including budgetary allocations, and provide funding for key interventions such as scholarships, school feeding, the abolition of Almajiri street begging and the provision of learning materials.

It also trains teachers, supervises and evaluates the Almajiri education system, and supports states and local governments in implementing the policy.

The commission, the policy says, collaborates with development partners and relevant agencies to improve service delivery, accredit learning centres and teachers, and enforce child protection laws to safeguard learners from abuse and maltreatment.

It also encourages state governments to establish model Tsangaya schools nationwide, and work with agencies such as the National Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), UBEC and SUBEB to integrate basic education, vocational skills and intervention programmes into the Almajiri education system.

However, road construction, the provision of solar power and the supply of medical equipment are not among the commission’s mandates as outlined in the policy document, raising questions over the suitability of the Almajiri agency to execute the projects.

Road construction and rehabilitation are the statutory responsibilities of the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), while the procurement of ambulances and dental equipment is ordinarily the responsibility of government health institutions and agencies.

Budget experts and accountability advocates have described the development as a troubling case of mandate distortion in Nigeria’s budgeting process, warning that allocating projects outside an agency’s statutory responsibilities weakens accountability and diverts scarce public resources away from its core mandate.

The questionable projects

According to the 2026 budget, the commission earmarked N1.4bn for the rehabilitation and construction of Eyinni High School to Lusada Junction Road, Ibooro; Idiya Central Community Road, Abeokuta; Ile Ise Community Asuje Road and Soyoye Community Road, Abeokuta.

The commission also voted N1.05bn for rehabilitation and construction of Pakoiji-Iporan Township Road in Ipokia Ward 2 and N1.05 billion for RCC opposite Honda Agbebi Community Road and Ajuwon Baale Road in Ogun State.

It budgeted the sum of N1.4 billion for the rehabilitation and construction of Obasanjo Itele Road, Nazareth Road, Oke Ola, Imeko, Idogo Township Road and Odedeyo-Mewuro Road in Ogun State.

In Katsina State, the commission budgeted N1.05 billion for the construction of internal roads in Dan Marke, Katsina State; and N1.05 billion for internal roads in Sabon Gari Yargoje, Sharada Burburga, Katsina State.

The commission also proposed N1.4 billion for construction of internal roads within Government Science College, Iyin, Ekiti State and another N700 million for ambulances, furniture, dental X-ray machines and dental chairs for a dental centre in Iyin, Ekiti.

The provision of three-in- one solar street lights in Danmarke, Jamruwa, Gidan Chindo and Sabon Gida in Kankara LGA of Katsina State gulped N700 million and another N700 million for the provision of women and youth empowerment tools in Kankara LGA, Katsina State.

Lawmakers blamed for insertion

When contacted by Daily Trust yesterday, the Executive Secretary of the commission, Dr Muhammad Sani Idris, said he was unable to comment on the matter immediately.

“Today is Sunday, but if you can give me some time, I will reach out to my budget office to obtain the full details. I would appreciate it if we could discuss this during the week so I can provide the comprehensive information you requested,” Idris said.

The Head of Media and Public Relations at the Budget Office of the Federation, Mr Afolabi Olajuwon, did not respond to phone calls or text messages seeking his reaction.

However, a source at the Budget Office, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the office does not determine the budget items of ministries, departments or agencies but only collates the submissions forwarded to it.

The source added that, in many cases, projects outside the statutory mandates of agencies are introduced during the budget process, particularly at the National Assembly stage.

“They call it constituency projects and since the government can’t fund it directly through the National Assembly, they use the agencies as proxies. The agencies too have to agree and if they refuse, they can be blackmailed by not approving their budget or through other ways.”

Practice not unusual – Senate source

Repeated efforts to seek clarification from the Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramondu, yielded no results as of Sunday evening, but a source with the Senate Appropriations Committee said the practice is not unusual.

According to him, some senators often approach federal government agencies of their choice to execute constituency projects on their behalf.

He said that when a lawmaker sealed an agreement with such an executing agency, the constituency project would be inserted into such an agency’s budget and when it is approved, the agency would execute the project, irrespective of its mandate.

He said, “You see, this is not new. If a lawmaker gets an approved constituency project, the execution must be done through any of the federal government agencies, irrespective of the mandate of such agencies. So, there is nothing new there; it has been the practice.”

He said it is now the duty of such a lawmaker to monitor the fund disbursement as well as the execution of such projects.

Executing off-mandate projects weakens accountability – CSOs

Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Head of Transparency International Nigeria, said the situation raised serious concerns about fiscal discipline, institutional integrity and compliance with the legal mandates of public institutions.

Rafsanjani said the allocation reflected what he described as a “troubling pattern of mandate distortion” in Nigeria’s budgeting process, stressing that every government institution was established with clearly defined statutory responsibilities.

“The National Commission of Al-Majiri and Out-of-School Children Education was created to address the critical challenges of out-of-school children, improve access to education, strengthen learning infrastructure and coordinate interventions aimed at reducing educational exclusion,” he said.

According to him, assigning road construction projects to the commission was inconsistent with its core mandate and raised questions about the rationale behind the allocation.

“Road construction is ordinarily the responsibility of agencies with the technical expertise and statutory authority to execute infrastructure projects, such as the relevant ministries and public works agencies,” he said.

He warned that such budgetary practices weaken institutional specialisation, encourage duplication of responsibilities and undermine the effectiveness of public institutions, while diverting attention and scarce resources from Nigeria’s education crisis.

Rafsanjani also said the development had serious implications for public accountability and transparency, noting that it becomes difficult to determine which institution should be held responsible for project implementation when agencies execute projects outside their statutory mandates.

“When agencies execute projects outside their statutory mandates, oversight institutions, auditors and citizens face greater challenges in tracking performance and evaluating value for money,” he said.

He further argued that the practice undermines transparency in public expenditure by creating opportunities for opaque procurement processes, weak monitoring, poor project execution and possible diversion of public funds.

“It also erodes public trust in government budgeting. Citizens expect the budget to reflect national priorities and responsible stewardship of public resources. When funds intended for education-focused institutions are redirected to projects unrelated to their mandate, it raises concerns about the credibility of the budgeting process,” he said.

Rafsanjani called for a comprehensive review of the affected budget allocations and urged both the Executive and the National Assembly to strengthen budget scrutiny, eliminate mandate violations and ensure that public institutions are funded strictly in line with their legal responsibilities.

He also urged oversight institutions, including the Office of the Auditor-General and relevant anti-corruption agencies, to scrutinise the allocations and ensure compliance with public finance laws and procurement regulations.

“Ultimately, Nigeria cannot build strong institutions if government agencies are routinely assigned responsibilities outside their statutory mandates. Restoring discipline in the budgeting process is essential for improving service delivery, enhancing transparency and rebuilding citizens’ confidence in public governance,” he said.

Also speaking, Dr Umar Yakubu of the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity said the commission was established specifically to address the growing challenge of out-of-school children, particularly in northern Nigeria, and should focus its resources on fulfilling that mandate rather than undertaking road projects.

Yakubu said Nigeria has an estimated 20 million out-of-school children, making it imperative for the commission to invest in educational infrastructure, learning materials and other interventions aimed at returning children to classrooms.

“Part of their mandate is to ensure that these children get adequate education that conforms with the realities of the 21st century. That means providing schools, technological gadgets and even feeding programmes where necessary,” he said.

He alleged that some government agencies increasingly include road construction projects in their budgets because of the huge sums involved and the opportunities they present for illicit financial gains.

“But when you see a commission, as we have seen in most high-level corruption cases, delving into road construction and other capital projects, it is because those projects are very expensive. You spend billions on them, and the opportunities for kickbacks are higher,” he said.

According to him, such practices undermine the institution’s statutory responsibilities and distract it from addressing the country’s worsening out-of-school children crisis.

“They have nothing to do with road construction. What they are supposed to do is ensure that the number of out-of-school children begins to decline year after year,” he said.

Yakubu also faulted the National Assembly for approving what he described as allocations outside the commission’s mandate.

“The National Assembly that approved the establishment of this agency is not doing its duty. On what basis should the commission be building roads in Ogun and Katsina states? There is really no basis for that,” he said.

He added that existing public facilities at the local government level could be utilised to support educational interventions instead of embarking on road projects.

He further argued that assigning road construction to the commission would also make independent monitoring more difficult.

“We are supposed to be monitoring the number of out-of-school children, but now they are dragging us into monitoring whether roads were built or not. That is not what this commission was created for,” he said.

Yakubu warned that unless the trend is reversed, the commission risks losing its relevance.

“Honestly, this commission was not built to last because, the way it is going, it will simply become another pipeline to satisfy some politicians,” he said.

Also lending his voice, Chairman of the Gombe Network of Civil Society Organisations and General Secretary of the Northern Conference of Civil Society, Ibrahim Yusuf, described the budgetary allocation as another example of misplaced priorities and weak accountability in public finance management.

He alleged that budget implementation in the country was increasingly being undermined by poor oversight and called for greater scrutiny of public expenditure.

“In this country, the misplacement of priorities within ministries, departments and agencies is a serious concern. If you look at the IMF figures, about N8.8 trillion was reportedly spent outside the appropriated budget. This is happening because of the collaboration between some powerful interests within the federal government and the National Assembly, who use the budget to siphon public resources,” he said.

Yusuf said assigning road construction projects to the National Commission of Al-Majiri and Out-of-School Children Education lacked justification and reflected a failure to align public spending with institutional mandates.

“How can the Al-Majiri Commission be constructing roads? What is the rationale behind this?” he asked rhetorically.

He also called on the executive, legislature and judiciary to investigate what he described as distortions in the national budget.

“We are calling on the federal government, the legislature and the judiciary to check what is happening in our national budget because it is embarrassing,” he said.

According to him, the development also exposes weaknesses in the country’s system of checks and balances.

“It is a sign of weakness in the government. There is no effective check and balance, and accountability has been weakened. When people are elected or appointed into public office, there should be a system that holds them accountable for their actions.

“The oversight function of the National Assembly has become weak, and it cannot continue like this. Public officials must be held responsible for what they do and what they fail to do. The present administration is showing weakness in this process,” he said. (Daily Trust)