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The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has raised the alarm over the failure of states to access and utilise about N332 billion meant to improve basic education, warning that the development is delaying critical interventions in schools and denying millions of Nigerian children better learning opportunities.
A statement from UBEC on Tuesday indicated that the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Aisha Garba, disclosed this in Asaba, Delta State, at the opening of the 30th Quarterly Meeting of UBEC Management with Executive Chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs).
The meeting, themed “Repositioning Basic Education in Nigeria to Optimise Investment and Impact,” brought together UBEC management, SUBEB chairmen, education officials, development partners and other stakeholders.
The quarterly meeting helps to strengthen collaboration between UBEC and the states, accelerate the utilisation of available funds and improve planning, implementation and accountability in the basic education sector.
In her speech, Garba said more than N65 billion in counterpart funds remained unaccessed, while approximately N267 billion in previously released intervention funds remained unutilised across the states.
She said the development underscored the urgent need for states to move beyond accessing education funds to ensuring that available resources were properly planned, deployed and converted into measurable improvements in schools.
The UBEC boss warned that failure to utilise the funds meant that urgently needed interventions in classrooms, water and sanitation facilities, school fencing, furniture and other basic infrastructure could remain delayed, thus leaving children to learn in inadequate and unsafe environments.
She stressed that the purpose of government investment in basic education was not merely to release funds or record expenditure, but to ensure that such resources translated into better schools, improved teaching and learning conditions and stronger educational outcomes for children.
She disclosed that states had so far accessed more than N177 billion in UBE Matching Grants, but urged them to urgently unlock the outstanding counterpart funds and utilise previously released intervention funds.
According to her, prolonged non-utilisation of education funds could undermine efforts to address persistent challenges confronting the basic education system, particularly inadequate infrastructure and poor learning environments.
Garba therefore called on states to strengthen planning, implementation and monitoring mechanisms, stressing that resources must be deployed efficiently and accounted for.
She also urged state governments to expand partnerships with the private sector, development partners and civil society organisations, noting that the scale and complexity of the challenges in basic education required broader and more sustainable financing.
The Executive Secretary announced the commencement of the review of UBEC’s Ten-Year Strategic Roadmap, which is being extended to cover 2026–2035, stressing that the revised roadmap would align UBEC investments with the changing needs of the basic education sector, strengthen implementation and ensure that available resources produced greater impact.
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Garba also disclosed that UBEC had developed the Basic Education Action Plan Management System (BEAP-MS) to digitise the preparation and submission of state action plans.
She said the platform would improve coordination between UBEC and the states, increase efficiency and reduce the need for repeated physical engagements at the Commission’s headquarters.
She further highlighted the Whole School Approach, which was designed to move UBEC interventions from fragmented projects to comprehensive school improvement. “Under the approach, investments in classrooms, water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, perimeter fencing, furniture and other essential infrastructure would be concentrated within selected schools to create more complete and functional learning environments,” she said.
Garba thus urged states to prepare for full participation in the HOPE-EDU Operation, describing it as an opportunity to strengthen the systems, institutions and capacity needed to deliver sustainable improvements in basic education.
She said the National Learning Assessment, conducted in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education, would provide credible evidence to guide interventions and help governments identify areas requiring urgent attention.
Speaking through his deputy, Monday Onyeme, Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, described education as the most strategic investment any nation could make.
He said Delta State had prioritised education under its MORE Agenda, consistently supported the Universal Basic Education programme and fulfilled its counterpart funding obligations.
Oborevwori expressed appreciation to UBEC for approving two additional model SMART Schools for Delta State, noting that the state had already provided the required land.
He listed investments in classrooms, perimeter fencing, gatehouses, toilets, solar power facilities, furniture and staff quarters, as well as SMART Schools and technical and vocational education programmes.
The Asagba of Asaba, Prof. Epiphany Azinge, however, urged UBEC and SUBEBs to focus on learning outcomes rather than expenditure alone.
Azinge described investment in education as the highest form of national capital formation, stressing that the real wealth of Nigeria lies in the minds of its children.
He said success should be measured by the competencies children acquire and the futures transformed, rather than the volume of budgets approved or classrooms constructed.
He also called for greater attention to inclusive education for girls, children with disabilities, rural and nomadic populations, conflict-affected children and children from economically disadvantaged households.
