N7.5bn UBEC fund will transform Cross River education – SUBEB Chairman
The Chairman, Cross River State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Steve Odey has said that the state has paid it counterpart funding for the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC) and have received a whopping sum of N7.5 billion which the state government will use to transform basic education in the state.
Dr Odey stated this while briefing journalists at an event organised in his honour by his community, the Yache Development Association in Abuja.
He said despite the financial crunch, the state government is going ahead with its overall policy to change the fortune of basic education in the state.
According to him, the government inherited a deplorable state of education with the state being rated 33 out of the 36 states in the Federation in academic excellence.
“This has prompted serious reform in the sector with abandoned counterpart matching grant being accessed as soon as the new Government took office,” he added.
The elated SUBEB Chairman said that the importance of education cannot be overemphasized adding that, it is vital to the overall development of the state.
He further maintained that because of the importance Governor Ben Ayade attached to education, led to the release of N3.8bn from the state government as part of its counterpart matching grant to enable him access SUBEB’s fund from the Federal Government.
“Development of basic education infrastructure in the state is key to the governor, and is key to all of us. “We have about N7.5bn SUBEB fund for the development of education in our state.
Don’t forget the governor is a professor, the deputy governor is also a professor and I am a Ph.D. holder and so we know what it is to drive education forward.”
Odey commended the governor saying, “Of course the credit goes to the executive governor of Cross River state, Prof. Ben Ayade, a man who from nowhere just met me and took me and said, ‘look you are smart, you are intelligent. You must work with me; work with me let us develop our people. Today the story is different,” he said.
He therefore, extoled the governor’s leadership quality saying, “Prof. Ayade’s leadership style is fantastic. This is the most digital governor we have ever had. A man that will show you how to fish, a man that will tell you ‘it is no longer business as usual. Politics is not about sharing money, let us just use the money to develop our people’.
He expressly stated that hosting him in recognition of his services to his people and the state makes him “feel motivated, I feel highly elated. If your community could recognise your contribution and organises a special day for you, that means you are working.
He added that by recognising his services, he will do more as education is very important. “That is why you see me talking about education. My interest is basically education. I told them without education you are nothing and nowhere. I encouraged everybody to go to school.
I told them I am set to improve the education standard in Cross River State. “That is why in every community, every unit that is a component of the community has its project that is either ongoing or that will commence soon. In the next few weeks the award letters should be given to contractors. All of them will see it that is to let them know without education I won’t be where I am today. So they have a lot to learn.”
“That is why you see a lot of politicians will crying because the governor is not sharing money. He wants to use that money to develop Cross River and all of us that have the same philosophy like him are with him and we are working alongside him.”
He promised to do more for the community in particular and the state as a whole. He used the occasion to reel out over 20 scholarships he has awarded to members of his community and the number of schools constructed so far.
The Board Chairman said over 50 people from his community have been gainfully employed through his recommendation in the Federal civil service while over a 100 have been employed into the state civil service.
