The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has revealed that a staggering sum of N135,540,905,308.92 billion in matching grants have remained unaccessed by state governments between 2020 and 2024.
The executive secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, disclosed this during his presentation of the 2023 and 2024 budget implementation reports to the Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education on Monday in Abuja.
The legislative committee was at the UBEC headquarters on an oversight visit to assess the progress of UBEC’s activities and the disbursement of funds.
Bobboyi clarified that the current year’s budget (2024) was typically disbursed in the following year, which means that the allocated funds do not usually lapse, unlike funds allocated to other organisations.
Despite this, he expressed concern that many states have failed to meet the necessary conditions to access the funds, leaving much-needed resources untapped for educational development.
He pointed out that, despite some progress, nine states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) still have not accessed the 2023 UBE matching grants. In terms of regional performance, the North-west Zone has performed the best, achieving 100% access to the UBE matching grants, while the South-South Zone has accessed 97.92% of its allocated funds.
Bobboyi further disclosed that Katsina and Kaduna States have set a positive example by accessing the 2024 UBE Matching Grants early. However, other states, such as Ogun, Abia, and Imo, were still missing out on the 2020 and 2021 matching grants.
Additionally, the report revealed that seven states have yet to access the 2022 UBE matching grants. Notably, the South-East Zone was lagging, having accessed only 85.37% of its 2022 matching funds.
He said, “In 2020 UBE matching grants, thirty-four (34) states and FCT have accessed 2020 Matching Grant, two (2) States namely: Abia and Ogun have not accessed 2020 Matching Grant.
“Thirty-three (33) states and FCT have accessed 2021 matching grant, three (3) States namely: Abia, Imo and Ogun nave not accessed 2021 matching grant.
“Twenty-Nine (29) states and FCT have accessed 2022 matching grant, seven (7) states namely: Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Ogun and Oyo have not accessed 2022 matching grant.
“Twenty-five (25) states have accessed 1-4th Quarter 2023 matching grant, one (1) State, Rivers, accessed 1st-2nd Quarter 2023 Matching Grant.
“Nine (9) states and FCT have not accessed 2023 matching grant. The States are: Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Plateau.
“Two (2) states namely: Katsina and Kaduna have accessed 1-2nd Quarter, 2024 matching grant, thirty-Four (34) States and FCT have not accessed 2024 matching grant,” he added.
As of October 31, 2024, Dr. Bobboyi provided a detailed performance breakdown by region in accessing the UBE matching grants, saying; “North-West Zone-1st position with 100% accessed, south-south zone-2nd position with 97.92% accessed, north-central zone-3rd position with 97.76% accessed, north-east zone-4th position with 97.57% accessed, south-west Zone-5th position with 92.28% accessed, south-east zone-6th position with 85.37% accessed.”
The UBEC executive secretary also identified several challenges hindering the effective implementation of the 2023 and 2024 budgets.
He attributed the challenges to a lack of political will and commitment by some state governments toward basic education issues, as well as the high number of out-of-school children, including the Almajiri and children with special needs. He emphasised that getting these children into formal education remains a significant hurdle.
Other challenges include low budgetary allocations for basic education at the state and local government levels, and increasing insecurity around schools in certain parts of the country. Violent crimes such as insurgency, banditry, kidnappings, and communal crises have contributed to a difficult environment for schools in some regions.
Moreover, Dr. Bobboyi noted the slow pace of project execution by the State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) as another major bottleneck.
Earlier during the visit, Senator Lawal Adams Usman, chairman of the Senate Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary), stressed the importance of basic education for the development and future of the nation.
He said the committee, as the primary oversight body for UBEC, visited the Commission in compliance with Section 88 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The visit aimed to assess the level of compliance with the full implementation of the 2023/24 budget, identify inefficiencies, waste, and challenges, and make recommendations for improvements.
Senator Usman further explained that the committee would also tour some physical intervention projects, such as the UBEC ICT Centre and Smart Schools within the FCT, to gain a better understanding of the impact of the grants.
While commending the Commission for its work done so far, he urged UBEC to do more, especially considering the outdated nature and challenges of its enabling law, which is currently being reviewed by the National Assembly.
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