UBEC rates Nasarawa among best performing states in accessing, utilising matching grants

…Seeks to reduce number of out-of-school children

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has rated Nasarawa State top among best performing states in the country, known for accessing and effectively utilising matching grants for educational development in the state.

So far, from 2005 to date, the Federal government, through UBEC has disbursed over Twenty Billion (N20 billion), in recognition of its commitment to deliver and advance the course of basic education in the state.

Aisha Garba, executive secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), stated this during a familiarisation visit to Governor Abdullahi Sule, at the Government House in Lafia.

The UBEC ES said her visit was to partner the state, in her continued efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

“Our visit to the state is as a result of your commitment to basic education in Nasarawa state.

“Also, the focus of my visit here with my team is to strengthen our collaboration and partnership in the delivery of basic education in state and to also help in reducing the out-of-school children in Nigeria overall,” Garba explained.

She stressed that apart from the funds, the Commission has in recent years executed projects, through direct interventions such as the UBEC Model Smart School in Lafia, Second Chance school in Akwanga, construction and furnishing of Junior Model Secondary schools and five libraries as well as the construction and furnishing of Almajiri model schools.

According to her, “Nasarawa state is one of the top performing states in terms of accessing and utilization of matching grants in Nigeria, as the federal government had disbursed over twenty (20bn) billion naira to Nasarawa state since 2005 to date.

“On this note, Your Excellency, I assure you that your 2024 matching grant is ready for release in the sum of Three Billion, Five Hundred and Fifty-Four Million naira. Your Excellency, the 2025 allocation to Nasarawa has doubled as it is now, Six Billion, Seven Hundred and Fourteen Million Naira,” she disclosed.

Garba then thanked Governor Abdullahi Sule for giving premium attention to education in the state.

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“Your Excellency, the Commission is fully aware of your contributions to the development of basic education in Nasarawa, which includes; the construction and renovation of primary and junior secondary schools, the provisions of text books and teacher learning aids, the recruitment of two thousand teachers as well as the donation of a temporary UBEC Zonal office and expense of land,” she stated.

Governor Sule said that he has no doubt that she would perform well as the Executive Secretary and called on her team to accord her support to succeed.

“The good thing about the new cap that you are wearing is the fact that you have just finished at the World Bank wearing a similar cap related to this. Now, it will give you the first hand opportunity to check some of the things you did at the World Bank to education in Nigeria whether they are working.

“Now that you have this opportunity, is just like you being in the private sector and moving to the public sector where you have the opportunity now to check whether some of those things are there and I kept talking about value added tax.

“As the managing director of a quoted company, I was actually collecting VAT on behalf of the government from the customers and remit it and I don’t even know what it was meant for.

“I was collecting 2% education tax and remitting it to government without knowing what it was meant for. Now that I am in government and I am the end user and the beneficiary; now I know what it is meant for,” the governor explained.