President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a plan by the Ministry of Education to disburse billions of naira in dormant Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) funds to state governments.
This move, part of a broader reform initiative, addresses the five-year backlog of matching grants to states from 2020 to 2024. The plan, spearheaded by Minister of State for Education Tunji Alausa, aims to enhance the country’s basic education infrastructure.
The initiative targets governors, providing them with tailored data that shows how these funds can transform the education sector in each state.
The federal government aims to enhance learning environments, reduce out-of-school rates, and improve teacher training through this initiative.
As of April 2025, some states have already been notified of their entitlements, including Ogun State, which is set to receive over N7.8 billion in UBEC funds.
The breakdown covers grants for the years 2020 to 2024. However, according to the UBE Act, states must provide matching funds to access these grants.
The move follows years of inaction, where many state governments failed to access their UBEC funds, often due to their inability to provide counterpart funding.
With this new strategy, the federal government hopes to push state governments to take action, ultimately aiming to close the gap in primary education access and quality.
The renewed focus on basic education comes at a critical time when Nigeria faces alarming education gaps, with millions of children still out of school and many schools lacking basic facilities.
Federal officials hope this initiative will lead to lasting improvements across the country’s educational landscape.
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