…as Governor Sule urges for support for new UBEC executive secretary
By Johnson Umishi
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has rated Nasarawa State among the top performing states when it comes to accessing and utilization of matching grants.
Hajiya Aisha Garba, new Executive Secretary of UBEC, disclosed this when she led the management of the commission on a familiarization visit to the Government House on Wednesday.
According to the UBEC Executive Secretary, Nasarawa State is one of the top performing states in terms of accessing and utilization of matching grants in the country, with the federal government, through the UBEC so far, disbursing over N20bn to Nasarawa State from 2005 to date.
She added that the choice of Nasarawa State for her first official engagement outside Abuja was not by accident but informed by the result of the commitment of Governor Sule to basic education in the state.
The UBEC boss said she was in Nasarawa State to strengthen collaboration and partnership with the Nasarawa State Government towards delivering basic education and to also assist in reducing the number of out of school children in the country.
She said that, as part of the visit, the UBEC team would undertake inspection visits to the UBEC Smart School Lafia, as well as the Second Chance School in Akwanga.
“Your Excellency, the Commission is fully aware of your contributions to the development of basic education in Nasarawa. It includes the construction and renovation of primary and junior secondary schools, the provision of textbooks, and teacher learning aides, the recruitment of 2000 teachers, as well as the donation of temporary office for the UBEC zonal office in North Central. Most importantly, the donation of land for the permanent site of UBEC North Central zonal office.
“I am happy to inform His Excellency that Nasarawa State is one of the top performing states in terms of accessing and utilization of matching grants in Nigeria. The federal through the UBEC has disbursed over N20bn to Nasarawa State since 2005 to date,” she stated.
Apart from the disbursement, Hajiya Aisha said UBEC has executed direct intervention such as the Model Smart School, construction and furnishing of second chance school, construction and furnishing of junior model secondary school, construction and furnishing of five libraries, construction and furnishing of Almajiri model schools, as well as procurement and distribution of textbooks and other instructional materials.
“On this note, I want to assure Your Excellency that your 2024 matching grand is ready for release in the sum of N3, 554, 000, 000. 00. Your Excellency the 2025 allocation to Nasarawa has doubled. It’s now N6, 714, 000, 000. 00,” she said.
She however requested for the state government to facilitate the issuance of the certificate of occupancy of the land designated for the permanent site of the North Central zonal office of the UBEC.
Responding, Governor Abdullahi Sule appealed to the colleagues of the new Executive Secretary of UBEC to give her all the required support in order for Hajiya Aisha Garba to succeed in her new assignment.
Speaking as the Chairman, North Central Governors Forum, Governor Sule said his colleagues would appreciate it if staff and management of UBEC give maximum support to the new Executive Secretary in order for the new Executive Secretary to be able to replicate the great job she has done while working with the World Bank.
“I urge your colleagues to give you maximum support because I believe, without their support, you would be frustrated. You need that support. I’m calling on them, now that Nasarawa is the first state to visit, so Nasarawa is calling on you her colleagues, on behalf of the other governors of the North Central, we are calling on you to give her maximum support because she is the right person that could do a good job. She needs your own support hundred percent in order for her to succeed and do a very good job,” he said.
The Governor said his administration met a backlog of unclaimed UBEC grants and had to work hard in order to uplift the standard of education in Nasarawa State to be able to compete favorably with other states of the country.
“I want to thank you for your kind words about the selection of Nasarawa State first as everything we are doing is part of our responsibility to education. Nasarawa State is one of the topnotch states when it comes to education, and that is why we took it upon ourselves to ensure we meet up with the standards of education of other states. We have to do more, and that is the reason we are doing more,” he stated.
Governor Sule sought further collaboration and support from UBEC particularly with regards to reducing the number of out of school children, as well as tackling the Almajiri issues.
“I want you to partner with us in the area of Almajiri and out of school children. You have a lot of experience on that and I want you to help us to ensure that it works for us in Nasarawa State. We want to take most of these Almajiris off the street and take them to places where they can become useful to themselves,” he said.
On her request for the facilitation of the issuance of the certificate of occupancy for the land hosting the permanent site of UBEC North Central zonal office, he explained that his administration is willing to process and issue the CofO once UBEC expresses readiness to develop the land.
“We have no problem giving you the CofO. What we were afraid of was it look like you were not ready to develop the land. It is in a very strategic place in the state. We don’t want to just give CofO and yet the place would not be developed. If they will develop it, go ahead and process it. We will give the CofO. We want to make sure it’s developed,” he said.
Governor Sule expressed confidence that having worked with the World Bank in the area of education in Nigeria, her new rope would afford her the opportunity to check whether the interventions by the World Bank in education are functional.
Recall that until her recent appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Hajiya Aisha Garba was a senior education specialist with the World Bank.
