₦66.7 Billion Allocated, Yet Pupils Learn Under Trees In FCT

DDM News

Despite ₦66.7 billion in allocations to local governments over 14 months, schools in Nigeria’s capital remain in ruins.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that rural schools within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) continue to operate under extreme conditions, with pupils learning on bare floors, under trees, or in crumbling classrooms.

An investigation by SaharaReporters revealed that the six Area Councils in the FCT received monthly disbursements from January 2024 to February 2025.

Records from the Office of the Accountant General show allocations included ₦4.8 billion in January 2024, ₦4.4 billion in February, ₦3.9 billion in March, ₦5.2 billion in April, and ₦3.7 billion in May.

The trend continued with ₦3.6 billion in June, ₦3.7 billion in July, and ₦4.8 billion in August.

September saw ₦3.9 billion, October ₦4.6 billion, November ₦7.0 billion, and December ₦7.1 billion.

In 2025, January saw ₦4.5 billion, while ₦5.5 billion was released in February.

Despite these huge inflows, public schools in the FCT—especially in rural areas—remain grossly underfunded and unsafe.

Social accountability group MonITng has raised alarms over the shocking state of primary schools in Abuja’s local councils.

A recent visit by MonITng to LEA Primary School in Gyadna, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), exposed a horrifying learning environment.

According to the group, the school’s structures are collapsing, with broken roofs, leaking ceilings, and damaged floors.

Some buildings have been abandoned for being hazardous, while classrooms are dark, overcrowded, and poorly ventilated.

Over 223 pupils have dropped out due to these deplorable conditions, with some parents losing faith in the system.

Teachers reportedly work under overwhelming pressure, struggling to teach in what were described as “disaster zones.”

In Gwagwalada Area Council, the situation is even more dire, with entire classes conducted under trees.

MonITng documented its findings from LEA Nomadic Primary School, Rugan Wakili Buba, in Paiko Kore.

There, children sit on the ground with no classrooms, no desks, and no teaching materials—completely exposed to the elements.

During the rainy season, education halts completely, unless local volunteers offer shelter in their homes.

This tragic scenario plays out despite January 2025 allocations of ₦1.1 billion to AMAC and ₦691 million to Gwagwalada.

Community appeals to local authorities have gone unheeded, leaving children and teachers abandoned in a broken system.

The funding shortfall isn’t the only issue; staffing has also suffered due to wage disputes.

Teachers across the FCT only recently suspended a three-month strike sparked by the delayed implementation of a ₦70,000 minimum wage.

The crisis began after an MoU was signed in December 2024 between the FCT Administration, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).

The agreement proposed a phased payment of the new wage beginning in January 2025 and included arrears and a pledge to dedicate 50% of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) toward meeting wage obligations.

Yet, with these assurances in place and billions flowing into council coffers, the lived realities in Abuja’s public schools remain appalling.

Parents, teachers, and civil society actors are now demanding a forensic audit of FCT education funds and a comprehensive overhaul of infrastructure and governance at the local level.

Critics accuse the Area Councils of massive corruption, diversion of funds, and gross dereliction of duty.

As Nigeria’s seat of power, Abuja is expected to set national standards.

But in the hills and suburbs beyond the glitz of the city centre, children learn under trees, and education is collapsing in plain sight.

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