UBEC: Your Claims, Completely Untrue, Education Minister Replies Activists
By Alice Etuka, Abuja
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa has responded to allegations of maladministration labelled against the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education (UBEC), Dr. Aisha Garba by the Education Rights Activists Coalition (ERAC), adding that their claims were completely untrue and misleading.
In a statement signed on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, Dr. Alausa said their claims were clearly orchestrated by disgruntled individuals resisting the reform agenda currently transforming the basic education sector under Garba’s leadership.
TheFact Daily gathered that ERAC had called for a thorough forensic investigation into the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) under the leadership of Executive Secretary, Dr. Aisha Garba.
The coalition led by its president, Comrade Odoh Dave, made this demand at a press conference in Lagos State on Monday, citing various alleged infractions and maladministration.
According to the Minister, “Dr. Aisha Garba is an internationally recognized education expert with over 24 years of experience—including 15 years at the World Bank—who has brought integrity, competence, and global best practices to UBEC. Her leadership aligns perfectly with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and has been pivotal in repositioning UBEC as a high-impact, transparent, and reform-focused institution”.
He informed that UBEC has made significant strides in access, equity, quality, and systemic reform under her leadership:
“The Commission has constructed 4,951 new classrooms, renovated 3,070 others, and established Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECCDE) centres nationwide. It has also supplied 353,625 units of school furniture and distributed over 5 million textbooks. To boost teacher capacity, more than 147,600 educators have been trained in modern, inclusive pedagogical methods. Furthermore, UBEC launched Nigeria’s largest-ever Teacher Professional Development initiative, reaching nearly 978,800 teachers.
“In partnership with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), a major curriculum overhaul was initiated to embed digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and critical thinking into basic education”, he said.
The Minister further stated that Garba introduced major reforms in the utilization of the Basic Education Action Plan (BEAP) and the Matching Grant Formula to improve accountability and results-based planning.
“These reforms have led to increased access to UBE funds, with 28 states and the FCT drawing ₦78.6 billion out of the ₦120 billion allocated for 2024. Her administration has also strengthened institutional partnerships with key development partners including the World Bank, UNICEF, KOICA, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the FCDO.
“Over 15,000 community-driven projects have been implemented through the School-Based Management Committee–School Improvement Programme (SBMC–SIP). She continues to build strong governance frameworks and internal fiduciary controls to ensure transparency, with no breaches or infractions recorded to date”, he said.
Dr. Alausa therefore noted that it was disheartening that some subversive forces, threatened by Aisha Garba’s bold and transparent leadership, have resorted to sponsoring a smear campaign in an attempt to derail the gains of the Renewed Hope Agenda in the education sector.
“Their efforts are futile and will not succeed. The Ministry strongly condemns this orchestrated attack and urges the public to disregard these fabrications in their entirety.
“On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education, I reaffirm our full confidence in Aisha Garba and her continued leadership at UBEC. We stand firmly with her as she sustains her transformational efforts to deliver quality, safe, and inclusive basic education to Nigerian children and reposition our education system for global competitiveness”, he said.
