Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has urged governors of the 36 states and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to utilise ₦267 billion in released intervention funds and access over ₦65 billion in counterpart funding for basic education.
Falana, who is the chairman of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), said the failure to utilise the funds undermined the right of Nigerian children to free and compulsory basic education.
In a statement dated October 13, 2026, he cited a November 28, 2025, judgment of the Federal High Court in the case of Femi Falana & Anor v. Attorney-General of the Federation & 36 Ors (Suit No. FHC/L/CS/142/24), which he said affirmed the legal obligation of the Federal Government, the 36 state governments and the FCT to provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for children of primary and junior secondary school age.
Falana expressed concern over figures disclosed by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), indicating that as of August 2026, about ₦267 billion in released intervention funds remained unutilised, while more than ₦65 billion in counterpart funding was yet to be accessed by states.
The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba, reportedly disclosed the figures at the opening of a month-long technical capacity-building workshop organised under the World Bank-assisted HOPE-GOV Programme in Abuja.
The workshop is aimed at strengthening budget planning and execution for basic education and primary healthcare across the 36 states and the FCT.
Falana called on the state governments and the FCT administration to urgently access the available funds and fulfil their statutory obligations under the Free, Compulsory Universal Basic Education Act.
He also urged the Federal Government to provide at least one meal daily for schoolchildren to improve school enrolment and nutrition, in line with the National Social Investment Programme Agency Act.
With political campaigns underway, the human rights lawyer called on the media to demand clear commitments from all registered political parties and their candidates on the implementation of laws guaranteeing free and compulsory basic education and the school feeding programme.
He said political parties should be pressed to explain how their proposed programmes would ensure that every Nigerian child had access to basic education.
Falana further called for urgent action to remove school-age children from the streets across the country, including the FCT, arguing that Nigeria had sufficient resources to address the challenge without further delay.
He maintained that the effective utilisation of available education funds and the enforcement of existing laws were necessary to protect children’s right to education and expand access to schooling nationwide.
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