Tinubu stops FG’s funding of Nurses Council, Teachers Council, professional bodies

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the stoppage of funding of professional bodies from the budget of the Federal Government from 2026.

The Director General of the Budget Office, Ben Akabueze, disclosed this in a circular issued by the Budget Office.

A copy of the circular, titled: DG/BDT/GEN.CORR/2016/XII/3067 and dated June 26, 2023, was sent to the Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology, Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

Akabueze said in the circular that this was in line with the decision of the Presidential Committee on Salaries, adding that the implementation would be effected from December 31, 2026.

He said: “I wish to inform you that the Presidential Committee on Salaries (PCS) at its 13th meeting approved the discontinuation of budgetary allocation to Professional Bodies/Councils effective 2026.

“The purpose of this letter, therefore, is to inform you that, in Compliance with PCS’s directive, this Office will no longer make budgetary provisions to your Institution with effect from the above-stated date, and you will be regarded as a self-funded organization.

“For the avoidance of doubt, you will be required, effective 31st December 2026, to be fully responsible for your personnel, overhead and capital expenditures.”

The affected councils and professional bodies include the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Computer Registration Council, Librarians Registration Council, National Education Research and Development Council, Mass Literacy Council, National Examination Council and West African Examination Council (Local and International) under the Ministry of Education.

Others include the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Pharmacist Council of Nigeria, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria.

The affected bodies will also include Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, Nigeria Press Council, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geosciences, Veterinary Council of Nigeria, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, Survey Council of Nigeria, Legal Aid Council, Council of Legal Education, National Automotive Design and Development Council, Nigeria Export Promotion Council, Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, Nigeria Investment Promotion Council and Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology.
—