By Peter Omopo
Abuja, July 22, 2025 — The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has raised alarm over the failure of state governments to utilise over N250 billion in intervention funds meant for the development of basic education across the country.
The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Aisha Garba, made the disclosure on Monday in Abuja 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). She was represented at the event by the Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical), Dr. Razaq Akinyemi.
Garba described the situation as deeply concerning, noting that while billions in matching grants have been made available to states, a significant portion remains unspent.
“As of today, over N250 billion is still being retained as unutilised in the coffers of the 36 SUBEBs and the FCT-UBEB,” she said.
The training, themed “Efficient and Effective Management of UBE Intervention Fund: A Key to Successful Basic Education Service Delivery”, is aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the management of public funds allocated for basic education.
Garba noted that the problem extends beyond just accessing the funds to include mismanagement and poor utilisation by some states.
“The core challenge is not only the slow access to the UBE matching grant but the failure to properly utilise these funds to improve infrastructure and learning conditions in schools,” she said.
Since assuming office in January 2025, Garba said her first assignment was the 46th Financial Monitoring Exercise in the North Central Region, which exposed serious lapses in fund management by several state boards.
These lapses, according to her, included non-compliance with fund utilisation guidelines, delays in project implementation, diversion of funds, failure to remit taxes, and awarding contracts without following due process.
To address the issues, UBEC initiated a review of utilisation guidelines, introduced a new template for SUBEB Action Plans, and launched multiple capacity-building programmes for both UBEC and SUBEB staff.
“Between January and June 2025 alone, N92.4 billion in UBE matching grants was accessed by 25 states and the FCT,” Garba revealed.
Additionally, the Commission disbursed N19 billion for Teacher Professional Development (2023/2024 cycle) to 32 states and the FCT, as well as N1.5 billion under the School-Based Management Committee School Improvement Programme (SBMC-SIP) to 1,147 communities across Nigeria.
Despite these figures, Garba stressed that effective utilisation of funds remains a bigger challenge than access.
She emphasised the importance of the ongoing training, which covers areas such as the new SUBEB Action Plan template, the Nigerian Tax Reforms Act 2025, procurement procedures, financial infractions, and red flags that attract audit queries.
“It is not the amount of money deployed that matters, but how efficiently and effectively it is used to improve learning outcomes,” she told the participants.
She urged attendees to commit to the principles of transparency, accountability, and excellence in managing public funds for the benefit of Nigerian children.
“Every naira allocated to basic education must be accounted for and used in ways that add value,” she added.
Garba also commended the resource persons leading the sessions and encouraged participants to fully engage, ask questions, and share experiences that could improve their work.
“This is not just a training. It is a call to action,” she concluded.
