Nigerian States Spend Billions on Overseas Education Amidst Local Challenges
Between 2013 and 2023, Kano spent N36.5 billion sponsoring about 115,288 students abroad.
Chukwuebuka Aniakor 
As Nigeria grapples with the fourth goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the growing issue of out-of-school children, some states are investing millions of naira in overseas education for their students.
A report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) reveals that of the country’s 20 million out-of-school children, about 10 million are from Bauchi, Kebbi, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, and ten other states.
Despite these challenges, states are investing billions in sending their students abroad for studies. For instance, between 2013 and 2023, Kano spent N36.5 billion sponsoring about 115,288 students abroad. Similarly, Sokoto State spent about N14 billion on overseas studies for 4,600 students between 2016 and 2022.
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Learning has been disrupted, particularly in the North, for almost 20 years. A report by Save the Children group reveals that more than 1,680 schoolchildren have been kidnapped since the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, in Borno State. These attacks have led to mass withdrawal from school and closures.
In Katsina State, nearly 100 schools remain closed due to insecurity, disrupting the learning of over 30,000 children. A multiple Indicator Cluster Survey carried out by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and published in August 2022, showed that only 26.8 per cent of children between ages seven and 14 in Nigeria could read functionally in any language, while only 25.4 per cent could carry out basic arithmetic.
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Despite these challenges, states continue to invest in overseas education. Borno State government spent N588 million on foreign scholarships and sponsored about 180 students abroad between 2020 and 2023. Kaduna, according to the immediate past governor Nasir El Rufai, spent N1.5 billion in sponsoring 107 overseas for studies during the same period.
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The report highlights the urgent need for the Nigerian government to address the educational crisis in the country and invest more in local education to ensure the future of its children.
