A total of 27 states across Nigeria, along with the Federal Capital Territory, have not accessed the N54.9 billion basic education fund allocated by the Universal Basic Education Commission.
Despite the escalating number of out-of-school children in the nation, these funds remain untouched, as reported in a document compiled by UBEC in March 2024, detailing the unutilized state-by-state matching grants.
The document, bearing the signature of Adamu Misau, UBEC’s Director of Finance and Account, highlights that as of March 28, 2024, the sum of N54.9 billion remained untouched by the states.
According to the document data, states such as Jigawa, Sokoto, and Zamfara in the North-West; Borno and Taraba in the North-East; Nasarawa in the North Central; Ondo in the South-West; Enugu in the South-East; and Delta in the South-South have successfully accessed their allocated funds.
However, it mentions that Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, Benue, Kwara, Niger, Kogi, Plateau, FCT, Ekiti, Lagos, Abia, Rivers, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, and Edo states have varying amounts of unaccessed funds.
The total unaccessed amounts for each year are as follows: N1.4 billion in 2020, N2.8 billion in 2021, N14.4 billion in 2022, and N36.1 billion in 2023.
In February 2024, Human Rights Lawyer Mrs. Funmi Falana (SAN) initiated legal action against the 36 states, FCT, and other defendants for failing to utilize the N68 billion UBEC funds, meant for providing free basic education.
Among the defendants are the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Minister of Education, and UBEC itself.
In response, Dr. Ebenezer Leo The Great, the Education Advisor of The NGF, highlighted the challenges faced by states in raising the required counterpart funding to access the UBEC funds.
Dr. Leo advocated for legislative amendments to reduce the counterpart fund burden on states, emphasizing the need for easier access to the allocated funds.
Chairman of Ogun State UBEC, Dr. Femi Majekodunmi, acknowledged the backlog inherited by the state government, vowing efforts to address the situation promptly.
Osun State expressed commitment to providing additional counterpart funding to access more UBEC funds, ensuring educational priorities are met.
Similarly, Benue State authorities affirmed readiness to access the intervention funds, assuring the completion of necessary procedures.
Stressing their compliance, Ekiti State affirmed that they were up-to-date with accessing UBEC funds and laid out plans for utilizing the allocated funds effectively.
Kano State’s UBEC Secretary, Hajiya Amina Umar, detailed the process of releasing counterpart funds in preparation for utilizing the intervention funds.
Efforts to reach Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, for comments were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.