FG Tasks States On Judicious Use Of UBE Fund

Federal government has urged all the state governments to ensure judicious and accountable utilisation of the matching grant disbursed to them for the implementation of Universal Basic Education (UBE).

The executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Hamid Bobboyi, made the call in Abuja yesterday, while declaring open a 6-day training for Accountants and Auditors of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) as well as those of the State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs).

He frowned at the situation where state officials mount unnecessary pressure on financial officers, urging the officers in SUBEBs to resist pressure from any quarters to commit infractions and compromise standards.

Bobboyi said the purpose of the training was to familiarize participants with the newly reviewed accounting manual and provide a comprehensive understanding of financial infractions and sanctions, noting that such knowledge was crucial to ensuring successful service delivery in basic education.

The UBEC boss lamented that while trainings have been provided for the finance staff in accordance with the set objectives, it was disheartening to observe that these trainings have not yielded significant improvements in workplaces.

He revealed that regular quarterly financial monitoring activities conducted by UBEC reveal “poor record-keeping practices as well as infractions that violate established rules, regulations, and guidelines.”

He added that observations made from these monitoring exercises were forwarded to SUBEBs along with recommendations for necessary actions.

The UBEC boss urged the participants to take full advantage of the training programme so that on return to their respective offices they would be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills needed to bring about positive changes in accounting practices at both the commission and boards.