The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) revealed on Wednesday that some state governments have not accessed more than N46.2 billion in matching grants for the purpose of developing infrastructure in public primary and secondary schools. .
UBEC’s Acting Executive Secretary, Professor Bala Zakari, stated this during a monitoring visit to the Commission by the Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education in Abuja.
He also revealed that the sum of N15.6 billion was approved for constituency projects in 2022, noting that the Commission was able to achieve around 95 per cent implementation of the projects that were part of the UBEC capital project.
He said: “As a Commission we do not have a capital project. Meanwhile, we use constituency projects as our capital project. In 2022 the sum of N15.6 assigned by the National Assembly as a project for rural intervention and constituency”.
Introducing the 2022 capital budget implementation report, Zakari said that a total sum of N162,284,117,592 was allocated to states as Universal Basic Education (UBE) grants between 2019 and 2022, while 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory acceded to N116,072,964,294.33. (FCT.)
It said: “The sum of N46,211,153,298.63 is the total of UBE matching grants not accessed as of April 30, 2023 by the 36 states and the FCT.
“Between 2019 and 2022, the sum of N162, 284, 117,592 was allocated to states as UBE grants. As of April 30, 2023, 36 states and the FCT, Abuja, agreed to the sum of N116,072,964,294.33, representing 71.52 percent as of April 30, 2023.”
He explained that, at the time of the report, only 11 states had accessed the 2022 matching grant fund because only four months of the year had passed, noting that, by law, the matching grant is only accessible for 2022 in 2023.
Speaking about the UBE matching grant levels that states access, he said that in 2019, 35 states and FCT agreed to the 2019 allocation, and one state, Anambra, has not yet accessed the grant as of April 30, 2019. 2023.
About the 2020 matching grant, he said: “30 states and FCT have agreed to the matching grant. Six states viz; Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Ebonyi, Kwara and Ogun have not yet accessed the 2020 UBE Matching Grant as of April 30, 2023.
“29 states have accessed 2022 matching grant projects, seven states and FCT have not yet accessed 2022 UBE matching grants as of April 30, 2023.
“In 2022 matching grants, 11 states viz; Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Ondo, Taraba and Zamfara have agreed to the 2021 UBE Matching Grant. Twenty-five states and FCT have not yet agreed to the 2022-30 UBE Matching Grant April 2023”.
Earlier, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, said it was important to ensure that money released by the government is used for the purpose for which it was released.
Gaidam, who was represented by the committee’s vice chairman, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, said the visit was also to confirm the implementation of the commission’s 2022 budget and 2023 proposal.
The committee emphasized the need for state governors to participate in UBEC projects by accessing their fund to shore up the nation’s basic education sector.
Gaidam praised UBEC for always keeping the records up to date and the good work being done by the Commission while encouraging UBEC management to continue with the aim of ensuring better development of basic education in Nigeria.
He noted that the IX National Assembly will end in a few weeks, and called on the Commission to extend the same cordial working relationship enjoyed to the 10th National Assembly, and emphasized that basic education is key and fundamental to achieving any education of quality in the country. and as such requires the support of the National Assembly.
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