UBEC Adopts Initiative To Empower 1m Underserved Girls

Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has adopted the Lumina 2030 Initiative to educate and economically empower one million underserved Nigerian girls by 2030.

The executive secretary of UBEC, Hajiya Aisha Garba stated this at the Luminah 2030-UBEC migration and establishment agenda in Abuja yesterday.

Lumina 2030, which stands for Learning, Uniting, Modernising, Innovating, Nurturing, Accelerating, Harmonising, combines education, leadership development, and vocational training to break cycles of exclusion, poverty, and gender-based marginalisation.
Garba, who was represented at the event by the deputy executive secretary (Technical) of the Commission,

Mr. Razak Akinyemi, said the Federal Ministry of Education formally launched the initiative to address the country’s education crisis, which has left approximately 15 million children out of school.
According to her, Lumina 2030 integrates education, vocational skills training, caregiver support, and community engagement to tackle the root causes that have historically kept girls out of school.

She said Lumina 2030 has reached a stage where sustainability and institutionalisation are critical. Migrating the initiative to UBEC, she said ensures it becomes a permanent structure within Nigeria’s educational system, aligning fully with UBEC’s seven pillars in its 10-year roadmap (2021–2030) and the broader educational transformation agenda.

“The agenda before us has been carefully designed, and I urge each of you to approach this session with seriousness, impact, and commitment, so that together we can achieve the full potential of this initiative.

“Let our delegation not be routine, but transformational, producing clear actions that will illuminate the path of our girls. UBEC stands ready to provide leadership, accountability, and institutional anchor needed to drive this initiative.

“Together with the Ministry, IGEL, and our fellow states, our partners will ensure that Lumina delivers lasting changes. We shall converge on Friday to witness the official handover. Every educator, every caregiver empowered, every community mobilised is a victory for Nigeria,” she said.

Also speaking, Amina Buba, the national project coordinator of the Lumina 2030-UBEC migration and establishment agenda, emphasised the significance of the transition.

She described it as “not just a transfer of administrative oversight but a strategic step to strengthen the initiative’s institutional framework and long-term sustainability.”