A UK-based group has pleaded with the Nigerian Government to “walk its talk’’ by scaling up its education budget, to put the West African country on course for sustainable growth in the 21^st century.

Speaking on the Federal Government’s sectoral allocation of 7.9 per cent of its 2022 budget to education, the international group, IA-Foundation, pointed out that “the figure does not reflect the commitment made by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) at the International Education Summit, held in London last July.

The Federal Government allocated N1.29 billion to education in the 2022 budget, representing 7.9 per cent of the total budget.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the group, Mrs Ibironke Adeagbo, made the appeal while speaking in Abuja on Sunday.

“The 7.9 per cent allocation to the education sector does not go far enough because education in Nigeria has lost much ground during the coronavirus pandemic.

“More so because banditry and other crimes have taken tolls on the education sector in the country.

“This is the right time for the Federal Government to build capacity and develop resilience for the education sector, to engender brighter future in a country where an estimated 13 million children are currently out of school.’’