We‘ve made progress in releasing funds to states, says UBEC

THE Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) at the weekend said it had made progress in releasing funds to states for the provision of the needed infrastructure in public primary and secondary schools.

Its Executive Secretary, Hamid Bobboyi, said most states in the Northeast, Northwest and Southwest have successfully accessed some of the funds with the commission.

Bobboyi, spoke with reporters in Abuja, explained that some states in the Southeast were yet to access funds with the commission since 2014 because of the issue of matching grant.

He said: “For 2017, a lot of progress has been made. You find the Northeast making a lot progress in terms of accessing their funds. About four out of the six states have accessed their entire funds. Others could not access it for technical reasons.

“You have the Southwest that is now coming in full force to access the entire amount that they have. Some of them have paid for 2018 but without necessarily coming to access them.

“The Northwest has also made a lot of progress. The states have realised the importance. But, there are still some worrisome aspects.

There are some states that have not accessed their funds since 2014.

He said the Federal Government has released N71.3 billion from the Paris Club refund to the commission to ensure the provision of infrastructure in public primary and secondary schools.

The executive secretary stated that the commission would disburse the money to states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in three months’ time to begin the rebuilding work.

Bobboyi said apart from the Paris Club refund, the commission would disburse another N71.3 billion, which is the marching grant for states and the FCT, to make a total of N142.6 billion to be spent on rebuilding public primary and secondary schools.

The UBEC secretary said: “The Federal Government will credit the account of UBEC with about N71.3 billion. We are going to add the marching grants and so in the next few months, the states are going to get a total of N142.6 billion. The money is to ensure the provision of needed facilities in public primary and junior secondary schools in the country.

“The N71.3 billion was deducted by the Federal Government from the Paris Club Refund accrued to states and the other N71.3 billion would come from the marching grants from UBEC. By the next three, four months or at most five months, we will have no un-accessed funds in UBEC.”