The N51bn idle UBEC fund

The recent disclosure that N51 billion Universal Basic Education
Commission (UBEC) fund was not accessed by the states as at August
31, 2018, is disturbing. More worrisome is the projection that the
idle UBEC fund may rise to N80 billion as the 2019 election
approaches.

According to the Executive Secretary of the UBEC, Dr. Hamid
Bobboyi, only 13 states; Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, Borno, Gombe,
Taraba, Kogi, Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Cross River, Delta, Rivers and the
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) accessed the 2017 UBEC matching
grants totaling N18 billion as at August 31, 2018.

Unfortunately, none of the states from the South East zone
accessed the fund in 2017. We want this ugly narrative to change.
Figures released by the UBEC boss showed that N2 billion was not
accessed in 2014; N5 billion (2015); N13 billion (2016); and N29
billion (2017). This is scandalous and unacceptable.

We strongly condemn the refusal of some state governments to
access the UBEC fund in spite of many problems of the education
sector. Every state governor should muster the political will to
access the fund in order to develop basic education in the
country.

We, therefore, urge the states to prioritise education by taking
steps to access the fund. There is no doubt that the inability of
some states to access the fund will affect the realisation of Early
Childhood Development (ECD) initiative and the Education for All
(EFA) objectives. It will also affect the realisation of the
education component of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Those in charge of disbursing the UBEC fund must think of other
strategies to make it accessible by all the states. If this measure
requires the amendment of the law establishing the commission, they
should do so forthwith.

It is sad that N51 billion is lying fallow while the basic
education sector is saddled with so many problems such as
infrastructure decay, dearth of books and other materials for
effective teaching and learning in most primary and junior
secondary schools in the country.

We recall that before the advent of the UBE Act of 2004, the
funding of basic education was entirely the responsibility of
states and local governments. But with the Federal Government’s
addition of two per cent of its Consolidated Revenue Fund to the
funding of basic education, which includes Early Childhood Care
Education (ECCE), Primary and Junior Secondary Education, states
are required to provide counterpart funding to access the UBEC
fund.

We also recall that past efforts made by some governors in 2014
to ensure the amendment of Sections 9 (b) and 11 (2) of UBEC Act
which stipulated the criteria for accessing the fund, did not
succeed. Also, the call by a branch of the Nigeria Union of
Teachers on the National Assembly to sanction any state that fails
to access the fund has not worked.

It is apparent that the counterpart funding arrangement under
which a state that wants to access N1 million provides N500,000
which will qualify it to get N1.5 million is no longer working.
There is the need to reduce the amount a state will pay to receive
the fund.

The UBEC should also make the modalities for accessing the fund
very attractive. In fact, some of the stringent conditions for
accessing the fund should be reviewed in such a way that the states
can meet up.

The Federal Government should also examine the politics
surrounding the disbursement of fund and find out why some of the
states are reluctant to access it. Let all the stakeholders
involved in the disbursement and utilisation of the fund meet and
resolve the problems. It is not in the interest of basic education
for the fund to lie idle while the standard of basic education is
deteriorating.

Culled from Sun Editorial