The National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education (NCAOOSCE) has defended controversial items contained in its 2026 budget, explaining that the projects attracting public scrutiny are constituency projects allocated to the Commission through the National Assembly and not initiatives it independently proposed.
The Commission issued the clarification on Tuesday amid growing public concern over budget provisions perceived to be outside its statutory mandate, insisting that the allocations do not represent a shift in its core responsibilities.
According to the Commission, it is standard federal practice for constituency projects approved by the National Assembly to be assigned to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for execution under the annual Appropriation Act.
It noted that once such projects are legally assigned, the Commission is obligated to implement them in line with the provisions of the Appropriation Act, while complying with procurement laws, financial regulations and other due process requirements.
The Commission stressed that its primary focus remains tackling Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis and reforming the Almajiri education system through targeted interventions.
It disclosed that more than 700,000 out-of-school children have so far been profiled nationwide, while 119 learning centres have been established to facilitate their reintegration into formal and non-formal education.
The agency added that community mobilisation, ward-level advocacy and the implementation of the National Policy on Almajiri Education remain key pillars of its strategy to reduce the number of out-of-school children and address the social challenges associated with the phenomenon.
Reaffirming its commitment to its statutory mandate, the Commission said it would continue working with the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, and other stakeholders to expand access to quality education for vulnerable children across Nigeria.
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