The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU), and the University of Calabar (UNICAL) have received the largest budgetary allocations among federal universities in President Bola Tinubu’s proposed 2026 appropriation bill.
The budget breakdown shows that UNN was allocated ₦49.74 billion, making it the highest-funded federal university. It was closely followed by ABU with ₦48.76 billion and UNICAL with ₦43.83 billion, according to figures obtained by The ICIR.
Across all federal universities, more than ₦1 trillion was proposed for 69 institutions under the education budget line.
Although the allocations were intended for university development, several line items include expenditures that fall outside the institutions’ core academic mandate, the ICIR found.
For example, ABU has ₦280 million set aside for the supply of solar water pumps, chemical sprayers, fertilisers, and food grains for people and farmers in Katsina North Senatorial District, a project critics say is unrelated to the university’s academic role.
Similarly, UNICAL allocated ₦30.56 million for a fish farm in Akamkpa/Biase Federal Constituency, and the University of Maiduguri earmarked N140 million for the construction of primary healthcare centres in Akko Federal Constituency.
The 2026 budget proposal allocates ₦3.52 trillion to the entire education sector, representing 6.1 per cent of the total ₦58.18 trillion appropriation.
This allocation continues to fall short of the UNESCO-recommended 15–20 per cent benchmark for education funding and has drawn criticism from experts who argue it is insufficient to tackle structural deficiencies in the sector.
Beyond the federal budget, public tertiary institutions will benefit from intervention funding approved by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund). In 2026, TETFund earmarked ₦6.452 billion for eligible institutions, with universities receiving ₦2.525 billion.
The intervention is designed to support infrastructure development, improvements in teaching and learning, research capacity, and innovation. It also includes expanded support for digital infrastructure and the introduction of the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN), which aims to expand global academic connectivity.
The release of the 2026 budget coincided with a newly signed agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), intended to end a prolonged impasse over staff welfare and fuel industrial harmony across federal institutions.
Signed on 14 January in Abuja, the agreement provides for a 40 per cent upward review of university academics’ emoluments and introduces a Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) to support research activities such as journal publication, conference attendance, internet access and professional memberships.
Under the new structure, professors will receive an additional ₦1.74 million annually — equivalent to about ₦140,000 per month — while readers will receive ₦840,000 per year in recognition of their academic and administrative responsibilities.
The agreement also restructures long-standing allowances to make them more transparent and tied to specific academic duties.
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