By Felix Khanoba
As the ninth National Assembly draws gradually to a close, the Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education on Wednesday embarked on an oversight visit to Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
Speaking during the visit to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, Vice Chairman of the Committee, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, who led the team, said the move was to scrutinise the performance of UBEC especially in the area of budget implementation.
While stressing the importance of ensuring that money released by government to UBEC is judiciously utilised to transform the basic education sector, the committee called on state governments to do more in accessing the billions of Naira that remained untouched in the Commission.
Earlier, the acting Executive Secretary of UBEC, Professor Bala Zakari, said over N46.2 billion matching grants for the development of public primary and junior secondary schools remained un-accessed by some state governments.
Zakari, who presented the 2022 capital budget implementation report of UBEC, said a total sum of N162, 284, 117,592 was allocated to the states as UBE grants between 2019 and 2022 while N116,072,964,294.33 was accessed by 36 states and FCT.
He said, “The sum of N46,211,153,298.63 is the total of un-accessed UBE matching grants as at 30th April, 2023 by the 36 states and the FCT.
“Between 2019 and 2022, the sum of N162, 284, 117,592 was allocated to the states being UBE grants. As at 30th April 2023, the sum of N116,072,964,294.33 was accessed by 36 states and the FCT, Abuja, representing 71.52 percent as at 30th April, 2023.
“As at the time of reporting, only 11 states accessed 2022 matching grant fund.”
Speaking on the levels of UBE matching grant accessed by states, he said in 2019, 35 states and FCT accessed 2019 allocatoon, with one state – Anambra yet to access the grant as of 30th April, 2023.
On the 2020 matching grant, he said,” 30 states and FCT have accessed matching grant. Six states namely; Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Ebonyi, Kwara and Ogun are yet to access 2020 UBE matching grant as at 30th 2023.
“29 states have accessed 2022 matching grant projects, seven states and FCT are yet to access 2022 UBE matching grant as at 30th April 2023.
“In 2022 matching grants, 11 states namely; Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Ondo, Taraba and Zamfara have accessed 2021 UBE matching grant. Twenty five states and FCT are yet to accessed 2022 UBE matching grant as at 30th April, 2023.
The AUTHORITY reports that Senators Kola Balogun, Obinna Ogba, Yahaya Oloriegbe, Adelere Oriolowo, among others, were also part of the committee members that visited UBEC.
