UBEC says un-accessed matching grants by states hits N73bn
Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi has revealed that the total of un-accessed UBEC matching grants to state governments is now N73 billion.
According to Bobboyi, Kwara state alone has about N7 billion un-accessed fund from 2014 to 2019; Anambra state (N4.2 billion); Enugu state (N4.3 billion); Abia state (N3.8 billion) and Plateau state (N3.1 billion) among others.
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The UBEC boss made this disclosure during his presentation to members of the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Services on oversight visit to the commission’s headquarters on the 2019 budget performance in Abuja on Monday.
Bobboyi told the delegation that the N73 billion was out of the over N112 billion allocated from the Consolidated Revenue Fund to UBEC under the 2019 Appropriation Act.
While explaining that the figure of un-accessed funds was high because the 2019 matching grant was actually due for access by state governments, the UBEC boss added that “technically, 2019 is not un-accessed because you cannot access funds between December 31 and January 2020. It is an amount that usually accumulates up to the end of the year before people begin to access it.”
He said that 10 states have also lodged their 50 per cent counterpart funds, which according to him is a prerequisite for accessing the matching grant, but were unable to access the cash due to their failure to submit their action plan detailing the projects to be executed to UBEC.
Bobboyi, who explained that Anambra state has paid its counterpart fund wondered why the state has refused to forward the action plan to the commission for the matching grant to be released to the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) for development of infrastructure in the state.
He appealed to the members of the House Committee on Basic Education and Services to liaise with their state governors on the need to access the UBEC funds and utilise them effectively in the effort to have a functional and literate society.
Vice Chairman, House Committee on Basic Education and Services, Rep. Usman Zanah, who led the delegation, said that the visit was one of the constitutional mandates of the National Assembly to carry out oversight visit to Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government in order to ensure accountability, transparency and sustainability of good governance in the country.
He commended UBEC for introducing various innovations and effectiveness in the disbursement of the matching grant for the overall development of education in the country.
Zanah, expressed the commitment of the National Assembly within the confines of law to assist the commission in actualising its mandate for the overall benefit of the citizenry.
