The Political Economy of Physical Education Provision in Nigeria: Equity, Access, and Structural Determinants

Physical education provision in Nigeria reflects and reproduces broader structural inequalities shaped by political economy forces including state fiscal capacity, federalism dynamics, private sector expansion, and global education governance influences. This dissertation analyses the political economy of physical education provision in Nigeria, examining equity, access, and structural determinants through an original critical political economy theoretical framework. The dissertation integrates political economy theory with policy sociology, educational equity frameworks, and comparative education to construct an analytical lens for examining how economic structures, political interests, and governance arrangements shape physical education resource distribution across states, school sectors, and population groups. Empirical work encompasses analysis of federal and state education budget data for physical education resource allocation over a 10-year period, document analysis of national and state physical education policies, secondary analysis of national education data on physical education provision indicators, and elite interviews with 30 education policymakers, senior officials, and private sector stakeholders. Findings reveal systematic underfunding of physical education in public schools relative to private institutions, with federal states demonstrating wide fiscal capacity-driven variation in physical education provision quality. Global education discourse prioritising literacy and numeracy measurable outcomes marginalises physical education in both national policy attention and international development funding. Private sector physical education provision creates a two-tier system entrenching socioeconomic inequalities in health and sports opportunity. Recommendations for equitable federal physical education funding frameworks and rights-based physical education policy advocacy are advanced. Keywords: political economy, physical education provision, equity, Nigeria, structural determinants