Ministry clarifies position on allegations against UBEC Executive Secretary

By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

The Federal Ministry of Education has responded to recent media reports alleging financial and administrative misconduct against the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Aisha Garba.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, the Ministry said it is aware of the allegations and has reviewed the matter internally.

The statement noted that the Ministry maintains confidence in Dr. Garba’s leadership, highlighting her contributions to ongoing reforms within the basic education sector.

Since her appointment, Dr. Garba, a development expert with more than two decades of experience in education and international development, has overseen key reforms aimed at improving access, equity, and quality in basic education.

Under her leadership, UBEC has: Constructed 4,951 new classrooms and renovated 3,070, Established Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECCDE) centres, Provided 353,625 furniture units and distributed over 5 million textbooks, Trained over 147,000 teachers, Launched a national teacher professional development programme that has reached nearly 978,800 teachers and Initiated curriculum reform with NERDC to incorporate digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and critical thinking

In the area of financing, the Commission has introduced reforms to the Basic Education Action Plan (BEAP) and Matching Grant formula to enhance flexibility and results-based planning. These reforms have enabled 28 states and the FCT to access ₦78.6 billion of the ₦120 billion 2024 UBE intervention fund.

UBEC has also strengthened partnerships with stakeholders including the Federal Ministry of Education, State Ministries of Education, State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs), the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, and international development partners such as the World Bank, UNICEF, KOICA, FCDO, and the Islamic Development Bank.

Through the School-Based Management Committee–School Improvement Programme (SBMC-SIP), the Commission has supported over 15,000 local projects aimed at strengthening community engagement in education.

The Ministry stated that it remains focused on supporting institutions like UBEC in delivering the objectives of Nigeria’s basic education policy and encourages continued collaboration among all stakeholders.

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