JIGAWA SETS RECORD STRAIGHT ON Q1 EDUCATION SPENDING: ₦29.19BN SPENT, NOT ZERO
The attention of the Jigawa State Government has been drawn to a report published by TheCable titled “Kano, Lagos, and Delta led states in education spending in Q1 2026,” which reported that Jigawa State recorded zero expenditure on education during the first quarter of 2026.
The same claim has subsequently been reproduced by other online media platforms, thereby giving wider circulation to a figure that is inconsistent with the official financial records of the Jigawa State Government.
In view of these claims, the Jigawa State Government wishes to set the record straight so as to dispel the untruth contained in the said story lest the general public be misled into believing them as facts. This clarification becomes more necessary because figures published by one platform can quickly be reproduced by several others and subsequently acquire the appearance of established fact.
According to the Jigawa State Government Budget Performance Report 2026 Q1, the state had an original 2026 budget of ₦231,768,563,000.00 for Education and recorded an actual expenditure of ₦29,193,742,109.44 during the first quarter, representing 12.6% performance against the original budget. And this amount is recorded under “Function 709 – Education.”
This is the official expenditure figure contained in the State’s Q1 2026 Budget Performance Report, which was posted on the Ministry of Budget’s website since April and available for everyone to check. It is therefore not correct to state, without cogent evidence, that Jigawa State recorded zero expenditure on education during the period.
The Budget Performance Report provides the following detailed breakdown of education expenditure during the quarter:
Under Pre-Primary and Primary Education, the report records an original budget of ₦83,701,075,000.00 and actual Q1 expenditure of ₦10,167,982,643.91, representing 12.1% performance.
Under Secondary Education, the original budget was ₦39,477,425,000.00, while actual Q1 expenditure stood at ₦3,639,861,420.60, representing 9.2% performance.
Under Post-Secondary Non-Tertiary Education, the original budget was ₦830,000,000.00, with no expenditure recorded in Q1.
Under Tertiary Education, the original budget was ₦59,326,983,000.00, while actual Q1 expenditure stood at ₦4,936,760,317.06, representing 8.3% performance.
The report also records expenditure under other education functions, including Education Not Definable by Level, Subsidiary Services to Education, Research and Development in Education, and Education N.E.C.
The State’s official Budget Performance Report separately records ₦14,592,927,557.31 in actual Q1 expenditure under Education Personnel, against an original 2026 budget of ₦70,791,132,000.00, representing 20.6% performance.
The report records personnel expenditure of ₦8,455,248,416.48 under Pre-Primary and Primary Education; ₦2,578,868,461.51 under Secondary Education;₦2,668,664,891.93 under Tertiary Education; ₦617,415,428.00 under Education Not Definable by Level;₦14,747,725.56 under R & D Education; and ₦257,982,633.82 under Education N.E.C.
The official report further records ₦13,420,867,252.18 in actual Q1 capital expenditure under Education, against an original 2026 capital budget of ₦151,082,766,000.00, representing 8.9% performance.
The capital expenditure included:₦1,624,987,639.09 under Pre-Primary and Primary Education;₦447,415,637.47 under Secondary Education;₦0.00 under Post-Secondary Non-Tertiary Education;₦1,790,999,392.79 under Tertiary Education;₦0.00 under Education Not Definable by Level;₦724,144,119.00 under Subsidiary Services to Education;₦0.00 under R & D Education; and₦8,833,320,463.83 under Education N.E.C.
The report records ₦10,167,982,643.91 in actual Q1 expenditure under Pre-Primary and Primary Education.
The administrative breakdown in the report records actual expenditure of:₦14,224,900.00 — Ministry of Basic Education; ₦333,577,416.70 — Nomadic Education Agency; ₦1,885,610,980.38 — State Universal Basic Education Board;₦76,267,168.99 — Inspectorate Headquarters & Zones;₦7,854,136,078.65 — Local Education Authority; and₦4,166,099.19 — Jigawa State Tsangaya Education Board.
The Jigawa State Government welcomes scrutiny of its expenditure and performance from any quarter. We do not claim that every education budget line recorded expenditure during the first quarter; the official report clearly shows that some individual categories recorded no expenditure while others recorded varying levels of implementation. Yet, this is fundamentally different from the assertion that Jigawa State spent zero on education.
The official Q1 2026 Budget Performance Report records ₦29,193,742,109.44 in actual expenditure under Education.
Based on the foregone facts, therefore, we deemed it necessary for TheCable, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, whose data was attributed in the report, and other media organizations that reproduced the figure to clarify the basis for the ₦0.00 figure attributed to Jigawa State or correct the error thereof.
The pertinent questions begging answers are: What Jigawa State financial document was used in arriving at the zero figure? What definition of “education spending” was applied? Was the Jigawa State Q1 2026 Budget Performance Report available to the data compilers? How does the reported ₦0.00 reconcile with the ₦29,193,742,109.44 recorded under Function 709 – Education in the state’s official report?
We are not asking the public to rely solely on our statement. The Jigawa State Government Budget Performance Report 2026 Q1 is available for public access and scrutiny. Journalists, researchers, civil society organizations, development partners, and members of the public are encouraged to download and examine the report directly at:
https://jigawastate.gov.ng
The official Jigawa State Q1 2026 Budget Performance Report records ₦29,193,742,109.44 in actual expenditure under Education. It was not zero.
Hamisu Mohammed Gumel
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
Government House, Dutse
September 3, 2026
