UBEC Calls For Action As States Hoard N250bn Basic Education Fund

The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba, has raised alarm over the staggering sum of over N250 billion in unutilized Universal Basic Education (UBE) funds lying idle with State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) across the country.

Speaking at the opening of a three-day Financial Management Training for SUBEB fund managers from the 36 states and the FCT in Abuja yesterday, Garba lamented that despite repeated efforts to ease access and ensure effective fund use, many states continue to delay or misuse the intervention funds.

The executive Secretary who was represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical) at the Commission, Razaq Akinyemi said; “Our major concern is not just the slow access to the UBE Matching Grant but more critically the slow utilisation of funds already accessed. As at today, over N250 billion remains unutilized in the coffers of the 36 SUBEBs and FCT-UBEB. This is unacceptable.”

The training, themed “Efficient and Effective Management of UBE Intervention Fund: A Key to Successful Basic Education Service Delivery,” is part of UBEC’s broader effort to strengthen accountability and improve financial practices among fund managers at the state level.

Garba disclosed that her first assignment after assuming office in January 2025 was the supervision of the 46th financial monitoring exercise in the North Central region. That inspection revealed “numerous lapses” in fund management, including contract violations, tax evasion, guideline non-compliance, and even outright fund diversion.

“I encountered firsthand the depth of challenges in fund utilisation, ranging from slow access, to non-compliance with due process, and poor financial record-keeping,” she said.

She added that to address these issues, UBEC has reviewed its utilisation guidelines, introduced a new template for SUBEB action plans, and ramped up capacity-building initiatives at both national and international levels.

Garba noted that while there has been some progress in 2025, a lot more needs to be done. Within the first six months of the year alone, she said 25 states and the FCT accessed N92.4 billion in UBE Matching Grant. Additionally, N19 billion was disbursed to 32 states and the FCT for Teacher Professional Development (TPD), while N1.5 billion was released under the School-Based Management Committee School Improvement Programme (SBMC-SIP), reaching over 1,100 communities.

“It’s not how much money is sent to states that matters. It’s about how well the funds are utilized to impact the lives of the children we’re meant to serve.”

UBEC, she noted, does not operate schools directly but plays an oversight and policy coordination role. It is the responsibility of SUBEBs to implement projects at the grassroots. “That is why this training is crucial. It is designed to reorient our fund managers and bring them up to speed with financial reforms under the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”

LEADERSHIP report that matching grants under the UBE model require a 50-50 contribution from both the Federal Government and the respective state governments.

Once accessed, states are expected to implement pre-approved action plans strictly aligned with UBEC’s guidelines, covering areas such as school infrastructure, learning resources, and teacher development.

While some states are still struggling to fulfill their counterpart commitments, others have accessed the funds but are sitting on them.