DIPLOMAN TIMES

The Ogun State government has enacted a new Education and Skills Trust Fund law, establishing an additional financing framework for education, vocational training and skills development beyond normal budgetary allocations.

Governor Dapo Abiodun signed the State Education and Skills Trust Fund Bill into law on September 21, 2026. Speaking after the signing at the Governor's Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Speaker Oludaisi Elemide said the legislation followed consultations with the public and stakeholders and was intended to strengthen education delivery.

Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology Abayomi Arigbabu said the fund would cover both formal and informal education, with emphasis on skills acquisition and vocational development. Areas identified for support include school infrastructure, bursaries, teacher support and maintenance.

Arigbabu explained that the legislation gives stronger legal backing to a trust fund that had previously operated under an executive bill signed three years earlier. He said the additional financing mechanism would complement the state's regular budgetary provision for education.

The commissioner also said the law would support the integration of informal education into the state's education system through the re-engineering of the traditional apprenticeship model. He disclosed that more than 9,000 youths had already received training in various vocations under existing skills-development initiatives.

The new law therefore establishes a formal funding window for expanding education, vocational training and other skills programmes in Ogun State, while the House leadership also called for greater private-sector participation in financing the sector.