The Common Fundamental Training Fee (UBEC) has disbursed the sum of N 92 billion to 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), being an identical grant between January and June 2025.
This was made recognized by Aisha Garba, the manager secretary at UBEC, who was represented by Razaq Akinyemi, the deputy government secretary (Technical) at UBEC, on Monday, July 21, on the graduation of a three-day Monetary Administration Coaching organised for fund managers of State Common Fundamental Training Boards (SUBEBs) within the 36 states and FCT.
The coaching themed, “Environment friendly and Efficient Administration of UBE Intervention Fund, a key to Profitable Fundamental Training Service Supply”, has in attendance SUBEBs administrators of finance and accounts, heads of inner audit, and matching grant desk officers on environment friendly and efficient administration of the UBE intervention funds.
Garba in her speech disclosed that the fee disbursed N19billion, being the 2023/2024 Trainer Skilled Growth fund, to 32 states and the FCT, and N1.5 billion as College-Primarily based Administration Committee Enchancment Programme fund to 1,147 communities within the 36 states and the FCT.
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Nevertheless, the manager secretary decried the truth that over N250 billion intervention funds disbursed to state governments have been nonetheless being retained as unutilised within the coffers of the 36 SUBEBs and the FCT.
Garba emphasised that the problem isn’t solely accessing the UBE matching grant but additionally the failure of a number of the state governments to correctly utilise the fund to develop infrastructure and enhance the instructing and studying circumstances in Nigerian colleges.
“I’m glad to tell this gathering that between January and June, 2025, the sum of N92.4 billion, being UBE matching grant, has been accessed by 25 states and FCT.
The fee disbursed N19 billion, being the 2023/2024 Trainer Skilled Growth fund, to 32 states and the FCT, and N1.5 billion SBMC College Enchancment Programme fund to 1,147 communities within the 36 states and FCT.
“Whereas the above achievement displays a major achieve, the essential problem stays not solely accessing the remaining UBE Intervention Fund, however importantly the sluggish utilisation of the fund with over N250 billion nonetheless being retained as unutilised within the coffers of the 36 SUBEBS and FCT-UBEB,” she stated.
Garba stated the coaching served not solely as a knowledge-sharing platform but additionally as a possibility to align the monetary operations of SUBEBs with the UBE mandate and guarantee world greatest apply.
“This version of the coaching is one other vital milestone in our collective pursuit of making certain transparency, accountability, and prudence within the administration of public sources entrusted to us for the supply of high quality fundamental schooling.
“That’s the reason we’ve rigorously ensured that this specific coaching is anticipated to cowl a spread of pertinent areas together with the brand new template for getting ready SUBEB motion plans, overview of the Nigerian Tax Reforms Act, 2025, monetary infractions, violations leading to audit queries and pink flags within the execution of UBE funded initiatives, procurement procedures, and upkeep of monetary information, amongst others,” she emphasised.
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The chief secretary acknowledged that upon assuming responsibility in January 2025, her first official project was to oversee the conduct of the forty sixth monetary monitoring of the utilisation of the FGN-UBE intervention fund within the North Central area.
This, allowed her to determine a number of the lapses related to the administration of the UBE funds on the state stage together with sluggish entry of UBE matching grant, sluggish utilisation of the fund, non- compliance with the fund utilisation pointers, diversion of fund, non- deduction and remittance of taxes, non-compliance with the due course of within the award of contracts for the execution of fundamental schooling initiatives in addition to non-adherence to the authorised motion plan.
“In a bid to deal with these challenges, which I encountered first hand, I initiated the overview of the utilisation pointers, developed a brand new template for the preparation of SUBEB motion plans, and authorised varied capability constructing actions nationally and internationally for each UBEC and SUBEB personnel,” she stated.
She emphasised that this modest effort, along with the fee’s ongoing engagement to enhance practices on this regard, has led to elevated entry to the UBE fund by states.
