UBEC to disburse N142.6bn to states, FCT

In its bid to ensure the provision of needed facilities in public primary and junior secondary schools in the country, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has disclosed its intention to disburse N142.6 billion to states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, said that 50 per cent of the money (N71.3 billion) was deducted by the Federal Government from the Paris Club Refund accrued to states while the other 50 per cent was the marching grant from UBEC. According to Bobboyi, the UBEC by next year will have unhindered access to funds meant for the commission. “By next year, we will have no un-accessed funds in UBEC. Why am I making the promise? 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. We are going to add the marching grant and so in the next few months, the states are going to get 142.6 billion,” he said. The UBEC boss further said that the Commission has successfully conducted head count of teachers and pupils in primary and secondary schools across the country, adding that the result will be formally announced by February 28, 2019. While calling for concerted efforts to address the problem of out-of-school children in Nigeria, Bobboyi said the Commission was leaving no stone unturned to mobilise resources and churn out policies to reposition the basic education sub-sector. Earlier, UBEC’s Director in-charge of Academic Service, Mr. Wadata Madawaki, said 7.3 million textbooks were procured for primary 4-6 and distributed under the 2015/2016 intervention by the Commission. Madawaki, who also listed several other academic standard activities carried out by UBEC in 2018, said N165 million was allocated to each state and FCT for the Teachers Professional Development programme. Doosuur Iwambe, Abuja