UBEC Raises Alarm Over N332bn Basic Education Funds Left Unaccessed, Unutilised

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has raised concern over more than N332 billion in basic education funds that remain either unaccessed or unutilised across Nigerian states, urging governments to urgently convert the resources into tangible improvements in schools.

The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Aisha Garba, disclosed this on Tuesday in Asaba, Delta State, while declaring open the commission’s 30th Quarterly Meeting with Executive Chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs). The meeting was themed “Repositioning Basic Education in Nigeria to Optimise Investment and Impact.”

Garba explained that states had so far accessed more than N177 billion in UBE Matching Grants, but over N65 billion in counterpart funds remained unaccessed. She added that approximately N267 billion in intervention funds already released to the states was yet to be utilised.

The figures highlight a major challenge in Nigeria’s basic education financing: the availability of government intervention funds does not automatically translate into improved facilities and learning conditions. According to UBEC, states must address the administrative, financial and implementation bottlenecks preventing them from accessing and deploying the resources.

The UBEC chief said the situation was particularly troubling given the continuing needs confronting schools across the country. She pointed to challenges including inadequate classrooms, poor sanitation facilities and other deficiencies that continue to affect the learning environment for Nigerian children.

Garba stressed that the success of education investment should not be measured simply by the amount of money released or spent. Rather, she said, the focus should be on whether such investments produce measurable improvements in schools and positively affect the lives and learning outcomes of children.

She therefore called on states to move beyond merely accessing UBEC resources and ensure that available funds are properly planned, implemented, monitored and converted into visible results. The commission also urged states to strengthen accountability mechanisms around the utilisation of education funds.

The UBEC Executive Secretary further advocated stronger collaboration between governments, the private sector, development partners and civil society organisations. She noted that the scale and complexity of Nigeria’s basic education challenges required broader and more sustainable financing partnerships.

Garba also announced the commencement of a review of UBEC’s 10-Year Strategic Roadmap, which is being extended to cover 2026–2035. She said the revised framework would take emerging realities in the education sector into account, strengthen implementation and improve the impact of the commission’s interventions.

Another development announced at the meeting was the introduction of the Basic Education Action Plan Management System (BEAP-MS), a digital platform designed to replace the largely manual process through which states prepare and submit their action plans. UBEC said the system is expected to improve coordination, efficiency and engagement between the commission and SUBEBs. Garba also urged states to prepare adequately for the HOPE-EDU Operation, which she described as an opportunity to strengthen systems, institutions and human capacity for sustainable improvements in basic education.

The latest disclosure comes against the backdrop of UBEC’s broader efforts to improve access to its intervention funds. In July 2026, Garba said accumulated unaccessed matching grants had fallen from more than N260 billion to N26 billion, following reforms to the grant-access process and increased flexibility for states in preparing their Basic Education Action Plans.

The current N332 billion figure, however, covers a broader pool of funds—more than N65 billion in counterpart funds yet to be accessed and about N267 billion in previously released intervention funds still awaiting utilisation. The development places renewed pressure on state governments to remove implementation bottlenecks and ensure that available resources translate into classrooms, sanitation facilities, furniture, school infrastructure and improved learning outcomes.