UBEC to disburse N142.6bn to 36 states, FCT

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) said it would soon commence the disbursement of N142.6 billion to states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

This is to ensure the provision of needed facilities in public primary and junior secondary schools in the country.

The Executive Secretary, UBEC, Hamid Bobboyi, made this known while briefing journalists in Abuja, on the achievement of the commission on Wednesday.

Mr Bobboyi also disclosed that 50 per cent of the money which amounted to N71.3 billion was deducted by the federal government from the Paris Club Refund accrued to states and the other 50 per cent as the marching grant from UBEC.

According to him, in the next five months, there will be no un-accessed funds in UBEC.

“I am making it because the federal government found it (un-accessed fund) inappropriate and discussed it with the states and deducted from the Paris Club refund the entire amount owed by the states up to 31 of August 2017.

“The federal government will credit the account of UBEC with about N71.3 billion, which is the amount that is there.

“Then, we are going to add the marching grant and so in the next few months, the states are going to get 142.6 billion,” Bobboyi said.

The UBEC boss further said that the commission had successfully conducted head count of teachers and pupils in primary and secondary schools across the country.

He said the result would be formally announced by February 28, 2019.

He appealed for stronger efforts to address out-of-school children in Nigeria, adding that the commission was leaving no stone unturned to mobilise resources and churn out policies to reposition the basic education sub-sector.

Similarly, Wadata Madawai, Director, Academic Service of the commission said 7.3 million textbooks had been procurred for primary 4-6 and distributed under the 2015/2016 intervention by the Commission.

Mr Madawaki also said that 1.43 million textbooks in mathematics, English Language and social studies for Early Childhood Care and Development Education (ECCDE) for pupils in primary 1-3 had also been provided.

He also listed several other academic standard activities carried out by UBEC in 2018, saying that N165 million was allocated to each state and FCT for the Teachers Professional Development programme.

He said the process of procuring instructional materials, using the 2017/2018 funds, was ongoing and would soon be distributed accordingly.

Meanwhile, the Director, Social Mobilisation Department of the commission, Bello Kaigara, said the commission had over the years collaborated with stakeholders in the delivery of basic education in Nigeria.

Mr Kaigara said the commission was working tirelessly toward reducing the number of out of school children in the country.

The director said in its effort to reduce the number of out of school children, the commission recently held the Northern Nigeria Traditional Conference to proffer solution to the menace.

He said that a new project, called the School Based Management Committee, had been approved by the management of the commission and N2 million had been given as grant to some community for the project.

The director said the commission was partnering with the Federal Ministry of Education to develop a framework for UBEC-zonal office quarterly enrolment drive which would take off in January 2019.

Credit: NAN