Empirical Assessment of Public Expenditure on Education and Manpower Development in Nigeria

Poor funding of the education sector and low school enrollment in Nigeria has been affecting the manpower development of the citizen. This study is an empirical assessment of public expenditure on education and manpower development in Nigeria for the period of 30 years (1990-2019). Secondary source and time series data were used and the variables such as; human development index, public capital expenditure on education, public recurrent expenditure on education, primary school enrollment, secondary school enrollment and tertiary school enrollment were employed for the study. The data were sourced from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) statistical bulletin of 2019 and World Bank Database. Data was analyzed using Ordinary Linear Square (OLS) techniques with the aid of E-views version 09. The various analyses that were used are unit root and regression. The findings revealed that public recurrent expenditure on education (PREE), primary school enrollment (PSE), and tertiary school enrollment (TSE) are statistically significant on the Human development index (HDI) while public capital expenditure on education (PCEE) and secondary school enrollment (SSE) are not statistically significant on the Human development index (HDI). It was concluded that if public expenditure on education if managed will improve manpower development in Nigeria. The study recommended that government should create awareness about school enrollment especially at primary