Philip Agbese, a member of the House of Representatives, has raised alarm over what he described as growing disregard for statutory procedures within the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
Speaking during a legislative retreat on the UBE Act Amendment Bill 2025 in Lagos, Agbese accused UBEC’s leadership of sidelining internal processes and staff in favour of unilateral decision-making. He alleged that a new organogram was implemented without the approval of the UBEC Governing Board, violating Section 6(h) of the UBE Act. He also criticised the appointment of personnel from other agencies to senior positions at UBEC, reportedly bypassing qualified staff.
“You cannot claim to be building capacity while sidelining those who know the system,” he said. Agbese further claimed that the roles of the two Deputy Executive Secretaries had been reduced to ceremonial functions, while decisions were being centralised under the Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba. He warned that this centralisation had delayed project payments and undermined the credibility of lawmakers. Calling for urgent federal intervention, Agbese urged a performance audit of UBEC’s leadership and a suspension of recent structural changes. He hinted that the House Committee on Basic Education may summon Garba for a briefing.
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