The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has raised serious concerns over the failure of state governments across Nigeria to utilise over ₦250 billion in intervention funds meant to improve the country’s basic education sector. The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Aisha Garba, made this known on Monday while declaring open a three-day financial management training for fund managers of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to Dr. Garba, the intervention funds, currently sitting idle in the coffers of SUBEBs across the country, are intended to support infrastructure development and improve teaching and learning conditions in public primary and junior secondary schools. She lamented that the issue is not just about accessing the matching grants but also the persistent delay in utilising the funds effectively. This, she said, continues to hinder the commission’s mandate to ensure equitable and quality basic education nationwide.
Between January and June 2025, UBEC disbursed ₦92.4 billion in matching grants to 25 states and the FCT. In addition, ₦19 billion was released to 32 states and the FCT for the 2023/2024 Teacher Professional Development Fund, while ₦1.5 billion was distributed to 1,147 communities across all 36 states and the FCT under the School-Based Management Committee School Improvement Programme (SBMC-SIP). Despite these disbursements, over ₦250 billion remains unutilised, highlighting a significant gap in the absorption capacity of states.
Speaking through the Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical), Razaq Akinyemi, Dr. Garba explained that the commission’s financial monitoring exercises have exposed several irregularities in the management of UBE funds at the state level. These include slow access and utilisation of grants, non-compliance with fund guidelines, diversion of funds, tax evasion, contract award violations, and disregard for approved action plans. These findings, she said, prompted a comprehensive review of utilisation guidelines and the introduction of new templates for preparing SUBEB action plans.
Dr. Garba also noted that UBEC has intensified capacity-building initiatives, both locally and internationally, to ensure that SUBEB officials are equipped with the knowledge and skills required for sound financial management. She emphasized that the ongoing training is part of broader efforts to promote transparency, accountability, and efficiency in managing public education resources. Participants are expected to learn best practices in procurement procedures, tax reforms, audit compliance, and maintaining accurate financial records.
While acknowledging some progress in fund access and disbursement, Dr. Garba stressed that the real challenge lies in timely and proper utilisation. “It is not the quantum of funds deployed to states that matters,” she said, “but how efficient and effective fund managers are in utilising them for the benefit of learners.” She urged all participants to take the training seriously, engage actively, and recommit to upholding the principles of transparency and excellence in service delivery.
Dr. Garba concluded by encouraging states to shift their focus from merely receiving funds to using them in ways that directly impact the lives of Nigerian children through improved educational outcomes. She also commended the resource persons leading the sessions and expressed confidence that the training would serve as a turning point in how UBE funds are managed moving forward.
