Report has emerged that 27 States and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja have failed to access the N36.1bn Education Fund provided by the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, in 2023.
This was contained in a document prepared by UBEC in March 2024. The report showed how State-by-State matching grants were not accessed.
The document, which was signed by UBEC’s Director of Finance and Account, Adamu Misau, said the sum of N36.1bn was not accessed by the States.
Following the the document, only Jigawa, Sokoto and Zamfara States in the North-West accessed the fund. In the Northeast, only Borno and Taraba States and Nasarawa State in the North Central accessed the fund.
In the Southwest, only Ondo State. While Enugu State in the Southeast and Delta State in the South-South have fully accessed their funds.
According to the document, Kaduna State failed to access the sum of N1.3bn in 2023. Kano State failed to access the sum of N581m in the same year. While Katsina and Kebbi States also failed to access the sum of N1.3bn each in 2023.
In the Northeast, Adamawa and Bauchi States, jointly failed to access the N1.3bn funds provided for 2023.
It also showed that Gombe State failed to access the sum of N1.3bn in 2023 fund. While Yobe State failed to access the same amount in the same year.
However, Benue, Kwara and Niger States were said have owed an accumulated sum of N2.6bn. This is as a result of their failure to access the intervention funds in 2023.
The Kogi, Plateau States and the FCT, Abuja presently have N1.3bn each not accessed. However, the report stated that funds are lodged with the UBEC from the 2023 disbursement.
In the Southwest, Ekiti and Lagos States also failed to access the sum of N1.3bn each from the 2023 disbursement. It was also revealed that Ogun State is yet to access the fund.
Recall that in February 2024, Human rights lawyer, Mrs Funmi Falana, SAN, dragged the 36 State Governments and the FCT before the Federal High Court in Lagos. That was prompted by their failure to access the N68bn UBEC funds to provide free basic education for their citizens.
In suing the States and FCT, Abuja, Falana, said the States failed to pay the counterparts funds necessary to access the UBEC funds. And these funds are to provide free basic education for citizens.
In filing the suit, Falana joined as defendants, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, SAN, and UBEC.
Revealing the true position for the noncollecting of the funds, NGF’s Education Advisor, Dr. Ebenezer Leo The Great, blamed the situation counterpart funding.
Making the disclosure in a recent interview with Saturday PUNCH, The Great disclosed that the UBEC fund was trapped due to the inability of State Governments to raise the 50 per cent counterpart of the amount they need.
He said, “The issue is the difficulty faced by States to access funds in UBEC. We’re looking at how to change the legislation. And to amend the UBEC Act to reduce the matching grant, that is the counterpart fund that States are supposed to pay to access the fund.”
In a related development, UBEC has revealed that over 47m pupils are currently enrolled in 171,027 private and public primary. This is including Junior Secondary Schools across the country.
The Commission puts the total number of public schools in the country at 79,775. While private schools are currently standing at 91,252.
UBEC stated that 7.2m pupils are currently enrolled in Early Childhood facilities with 31.7m enrolled in primary schools. While a total of 8m are currently enrolled in Junior Secondary Schools.
The Commission also noted that 354,651 teachers are currently teaching in Early Childhood facilities. While 915,593 teachers are in primary schools and 416,291 in Junior Secondary Schools.
source: PUNCH
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