By Sarah Momoh
Abuja, Nigeria – June 25, 2025
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has called on the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) to urgently release outstanding funds for Unity Schools, warning that delays in overhead and feeding allocations are threatening their operations.
Dr. Alausa made the appeal in Abuja on Wednesday during a meeting with the Accountant General of the Federation, Mr. Shamsudeen Ogunjimi, stressing that schools across the country are under immense pressure due to financial shortfalls.
The Minister revealed that the last overhead release to the Ministry was in March 2025, while the last school feeding fund was received in April, leaving many Unity Schools financially handicapped.
“We’re going through a rough patch. Principals are being blackmailed by contractors over unpaid contracts. I even had to delay resumption in some Unity Colleges due to food shortages,” Alausa disclosed.
He proposed a quarterly release model for education funds to ensure predictability and stability in the system. He also urged the AGF to expedite payments and settle debts owed to contractors, whose frustrations are disrupting school operations.
Dr. Alausa further recommended a decentralisation of financial approvals, suggesting that transactions below ₦500 million be handled at the ministry level, and those below ₦100 million at the agency level to reduce administrative bottlenecks.
“Rather than requiring your office to process every payment even those as low as ₦1 million I believe you should consider devolving some of these responsibilities to MDAs,” he advised.
AGF Commits to Prioritizing Education Sector
In response, Mr. Ogunjimi acknowledged the concerns raised by the Minister and promised to work closely with the Ministry of Education to fast-track funding for Unity Schools and overhead releases.
“We will prioritise the release of funds to the Ministry of Education. Even if other MDAs are delayed due to funding constraints, we will ensure education gets its allocation on time,” the AGF assured.
Ogunjimi expressed support for a termly disbursement system and requested the Director of Finance and Accounts (DFA) in the Ministry to submit a formal proposal to facilitate prompt fund releases.
The AGF admitted that the bottom-up cash management policy, introduced to allow MDAs to implement their budgets as soon as the National Assembly passes them, had created unintended strain on the financial system.
“While the policy is well-intentioned, our fiscal deficits have made it difficult to implement efficiently,” he said.
He also disclosed that the Minister of Finance has initiated a high-level committee to review the policy and propose a harmonised, more practical alternative in the coming weeks.
Centralisation Overwhelming the System
Ogunjimi further highlighted how the current centralized financial approval system is overwhelming the OAGF’s capacity, with all MDAs required to upload detailed documentation for every transaction.
“Our system is overstretched. Most low-value contracts can be processed at the MDA level without requiring our intervention,” he said.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment from both parties to strengthen financial efficiency in the education sector and ensure that students in Unity Schools do not suffer due to administrative delays.
