IIARD International Institute of Academic Research and Development

JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND LEADERSHIP RESEARCH (JPSLR )

E-ISSN 2504-883X
P-ISSN 2695 2432
VOL. 11 NO. 6 2025
DOI: 10.56201/jpslr.vol.11.no6.2025.pg14.25

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Challenges and Prospects of Financing Higher Education with Local Government Funds in Nigeria

Adeleke, Gabriel Osuolale & SOLARU, Oladapo Emmanuel

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Abstract

At public level, both federal and state Governments are concurrently empowered by the constitution to provide higher education for Nigerian citizens. Presently, some state governments co-opt their local governments into the funding of higher institutions of their states. The study intended to know if any relationship exists between local government and higher educational sectors in national development. Both primary and secondary data were used. For the primary data, a total of 330 randomly selected respondents on 10 per local government basis from 33 local government areas of Oyo State form the samples. A sixteen-item questionnaire concerning people’s opinions on implication of local governments’ funding of higher education on the primary functions of local governments in Nigeria was developed to collect data with educated adult persons forming the study population. The study revealed that in the allocation of revenues from federation accounts in Nigeria and derivation of taxes, local government is the weakest, though the 1999 Nigeria constitution makes it a partner in progress with higher governmental levels in national development. It also revealed that its involvement in funding tertiary education has whittled down its capacity in carrying out its primary functions, though spending money on higher education should not be jettisoned as it is socio-economically developmental. To make local government capable of effectively performing both primary and secondary functions, there is need, inter alia, to raise revenue allocation to local governments from 20% to 25% and demonstration of civic morality by beneficiaries of local governments’ funds for tertiary education is also important.

keywords:

Education, Higher Institution, Local Government Funds, National Development, Primary functions.

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