By Kwin Israel, The Sight News
The National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education (NCAOOSCE) has clarified that projects in its 2026 Appropriation Act that appear to fall outside its statutory mandate are constituency projects inserted by the National Assembly for implementation through the Commission.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, by the Special Adviser, Media and Communications to the Executive Secretary / Spokesperson National Commission of NCAOOSCE, Nura Muhammad, the Commission said the projects were not initiated by it but were included in the approved federal budget in line with the established practice of assigning constituency projects to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for execution.
It explained that once captured in the Appropriation Act, such projects become part of the implementing agency’s responsibilities and must be executed in accordance with existing laws, financial regulations and due procurement processes.
“The Commission wishes to clarify that the projects in question are National Assembly Constituency Projects duly incorporated into the 2026 Appropriation Act for implementation through the Commission. This is consistent with the established federal budgetary framework under which constituency projects are assigned to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for execution in accordance with the provisions of the Appropriation Act”.
“Accordingly, every project assigned to the Commission under the duly enacted 2026 Federal Budget forms part of its statutory implementation responsibilities. The Commission will execute such projects in full compliance with extant laws, the Public Procurement Act, financial regulations and all other applicable government guidelines to ensure transparency, accountability and value for public resources”.
The Commission stressed that the inclusion of the projects does not alter its core mandate of coordinating national efforts to reform the Almajiri education system and tackle the challenge of out-of-school children.
It reaffirmed its commitment to expanding access to quality education, strengthening Almajiri education, supporting state governments and key stakeholders, and implementing programmes aimed at improving the lives of vulnerable children across the country.
According to the Commission, it has already profiled more than 700,000 out-of-school children nationwide, established 119 learning centres across the country, intensified ward-to-ward advocacy and community mobilisation, and continued implementing the National Policy on Almajiri Education to reform the system and address the social challenges associated with it.
NCAOOSCE said addressing the plight of Almajiri and out-of-school children remains its foremost priority, adding that it will continue to focus on delivering its statutory mandate with the support of the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, and other stakeholders.
The clarification follows public reactions to reports highlighting projects in the Commission’s 2026 budget that were perceived to be outside its statutory responsibilities.
