States fail to access N55bn Universal Basic Education grant

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has said that N55 billion was idle at the commission following the failure of many state governments to access it.

The Executive Secretary of the commission, Alhaji Dikko Suleiman, disclosed this on Friday in Gusau.

He said this at the end of the 13th Quarterly Meeting of UBEC Management and Executive Chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEB).

The commission’s chief executive said the money was meant to serve as annual marching grants from the Federal Government to the states for infrastructure development in the country’s education sector, particularly at the primary level.

He said the federal government earmarked N100 billion annually to fund infrastructure and manpower development components of the universal basic education throughout the country.

The funds were supposed to be accessed by the states through their respective SUBEB with a counterpart funding by the state governments.

However, he explained that many states were not forthcoming in doing so thereby leaving that of the federal government dormant.

He said through this federal government financing effort, the commission had recorded huge successes in the implementation of basic education in Nigeria.

Citing Zamfara as one of the states that had been up to date in accessing as well as releasing its counterpart funds, the executive secretary urged all the states of the federation to come forward and collect theirs.

“This is the best foundation we can lay for our future generations to guarantee the betterment of our country,” he said.

The three-day meeting, which was declared opened on Tuesday by host Gov. Abdulaziz Yari, had all the SUBEB chief executives across the country in attendance.

NAN