The National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education has clarified that some projects listed under its 2026 budget, which appear to fall outside its statutory mandate, are National Assembly constituency projects assigned to the commission for implementation.
The commission gave the explanation in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by Mr Nura Muhammad, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Executive Secretary of the commission.
Muhammad said the projects were included in the 2026 Appropriation Act under a long-standing budget practice in which constituency projects are assigned to Ministries, Departments and Agencies for execution.
According to him, once such projects are captured in the approved federal budget and assigned to the commission, they become part of its implementation responsibilities.
He said the commission would execute all assigned projects in line with existing laws, financial regulations and due procurement processes.
Muhammad stressed that the inclusion of such projects in the budget does not change the statutory mandate of the commission.
He said the commission remains focused on coordinating national efforts to reform the Almajiri education system and reduce the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
According to him, the commission is committed to expanding access to quality education for vulnerable children across the country.
He said NCAOOSCE would continue to support states, communities and other stakeholders in strengthening Almajiri education and improving learning opportunities for underserved children.
Muhammad disclosed that the commission had identified and profiled more than 700,000 out-of-school children nationwide.
He added that 119 learning centres had also been established across the country as part of efforts to address the education gap.
The commission said it had sustained ward-to-ward advocacy and community mobilisation to encourage enrolment and support education reform.
Muhammad said NCAOOSCE was also working toward the full implementation of the National Policy on Almajiri.
He said the policy is intended to reform the system, improve learning outcomes and address social challenges linked to the Almajiri and out-of-school children crisis.
The commission reiterated that the welfare and education of Almajiri and out-of-school children remain its main priority.
Muhammad also expressed appreciation to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, for their support.
He said the commission would continue working with relevant stakeholders to ensure that vulnerable children are reached through education, advocacy and community-based interventions.
The clarification comes amid public scrutiny of projects assigned to government agencies in the 2026 Appropriation Act and renewed debate over constituency projects, budget transparency and institutional mandates.
