Over N41 billion in the Universal Basic Education (UBE) funds remain un-accessed by state governors, Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike lamented at the weekend.
This development, he says does not augur well for the development of the education sector at the primary level.
Wike, who was speaking at the 11th Quarterly Meeting of UBEC Management with Executive Chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) in Osogbo, Osun State capital, said the development is unacceptable.
A statement by the Principal Public Relations Officer of UBEC, David Apeh said the minister posited that a lot can be done with the funds to improve education at the primary level if accessed by the various state governments.
The minister who was represented at the meeting by the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Dikko Suleiman at the meeting, explained that conditional matching grant as well as the non-conditional special education fund from UBEC have been not been accessed by many states including FCT.
The Minister expressed concern that the basic education in Nigeria was not where it should be despite the commitment of the Federal Government to achieving effective implementation of the UBE Scheme throughout the country.
“Nothing can justify the situation where billions of Naira meant to expand access and improve the quality of basic education delivery to deliberately left un-accessed and therefore un-utilized while the problems facing effective basic education delivery continue to stare at us as a nation,” Wike said.
