The acting Executive Secretary (UBEC), Professor Bala Zakari, revealed that state governors could not access the sum of N46.2n earmarked for basic education by the Universal Basic Education Commission. He said this during the presentation of the Universal Basic Education fund implementation report on Wednesday in Abuja.
The grants remain untapped even though Nigeria is one of the countries with the highest number of out-of-school children in the world. In addition, results indicated no contributions to affected states for 2023.
The data indicate that states were allocated N162, 284, 117,592 in UBE grants between 2019 and 2022 but only accessed N116,072,294,294.33.
According to the report;
“The sum of N46,211,153,298.63 is the total of un-accessed UBE matching grants as of April 30, 2023, by the 36 states and the FCT.
“Between 2019 and 2022, the sum of N162,284,117,592 was allocated to the states being UBE grants. As of April 30, 2023, the sum of N116,072,964,294.33 was accessed by 36 states and the FCT, Abuja, representing 71.52 per cent as of April 30, 2023.
“As at the time of reporting, only 11 states accessed the 2022 matching grant fund.”
Speaking on the levels of UBE matching grants accessed by states, he said in 2019, 35 states and FCT accessed the 2019 allocation, with one state – Anambra is, yet to access the grant as of April 30, 2023.
On the 2020 matching grant, he said, “30 states and the FCT have accessed matching grants. However, six states, namely; Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Ebony, Kwara and Ogun, are yet to ac, cess the 2020 UBE matching grant as of 30th, 2023.
“In 2022 matching grants, 11 states namely; Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Ondo, Taraba and Zamfara have accessed the 2021 UBE matching grant. 25 states and FCT are yet to access the 2022 UBE matching grant as of April 30, 2023.
Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, the Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education chairman, emphasized the need to ensure that the government’s released fund is used for its intended purpose.
Gaidam stressed the need for state governors to key into projects by accessing its fund to shore up the nation’s basic education sector.
cc: Punch Ng
