The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Aisha Garba, has raised concerns over the retention of more than N250 billion in unutilised intervention funds by the 36 State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Speaking on Monday at the opening of a three-day Financial Management Training for fund managers of SUBEBs, including Directors of Finance and Accounts, Heads of Internal Audit, and Matching Grant Desk Officers, Garba stressed the need for more efficient and effective management of the UBE intervention funds. The training is themed “Efficient and Effective Management of UBE Intervention Fund, a Key to Successful Basic Education Service Delivery.”
Represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical), Razaq Akinyemi, Garba noted that the major challenge is not just the access to the UBE matching grant but also the failure of some states to utilise the funds for infrastructure and educational improvement. She highlighted that between January and June 2025, 25 states and the FCT accessed N92.4 billion as UBE matching grants. In the same period, UBEC also disbursed N19 billion for the 2023/2024 Teacher Professional Development fund to 32 states and the FCT, and N1.5 billion under the School-Based Management Committee School Improvement Programme to 1,147 communities nationwide.
Garba said that upon assuming office in January 2025, her first task was overseeing the 46th Financial Monitoring exercise in the North Central region, which exposed several lapses in fund management at the state level. These included slow access and utilisation of funds, non-compliance with utilisation guidelines, diversion of funds, failure to remit taxes, irregular contract awards, and non-adherence to approved action plans.
To tackle these issues, Garba initiated the review of fund utilisation guidelines, introduced a new action plan template for SUBEBs, and approved national and international capacity-building programmes for UBEC and SUBEB staff. She said these reforms have started yielding results, including increased access to UBE funds.
She stated that the ongoing training aims to empower fund managers to make necessary reforms to address challenges in fund access, utilisation, oversight, and accountability. The training will cover critical areas such as the new SUBEB action plan template, the Nigerian Tax Reforms Act 2025, financial infractions, audit violations, procurement processes, and financial recordkeeping.
Garba emphasised that the impact of basic education interventions depends not on the amount disbursed but on how well those funds are managed. She urged participants to ensure every naira is spent effectively to enhance the learning outcomes of Nigerian children.
She concluded by encouraging participants to fully engage in the sessions, embrace transparency and accountability, and adopt best practices that will strengthen their roles as fund managers.
