Date: 2021-03-12

Despite the poor state of many primary schools across the country, over N41,064,896,752.62 Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) matching grants is lying unaccessed.

UBEC executive secretary, Dr Hamid Boboyyi disclosed this in Abuja yesterday, while presenting the 2020 capital budget performance to the Senate Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary).

Giving a breakdown of matching grants implemented by states since 2017, the UBEC boss said while 32 states and FCT implemented the 2017 project, four states: namely, Anambra, Imo, Kaduna and Kwara were yet to implement the projects in the said year.

He said, "30 states and FCT implemented in 2018, 6 states namely: Anambra, Imo, Kaduna, Kwara, Ogun and Plateau are yet to implement, 8 states implemented the 2019 matching grants projects, 28 states and FCT are yet to implement. In 2020, no state implemented the matching grants projects.”

Bobboyi further explained that states were yet to access the 2020 grants because it was only opened for access towards the end of last year.

The ES also said the sum of N29,751,242,914.90 was received by the commission, representing 99.92 percent as at 31 December 2020 and was able to award contracts worth N27,573,254,231.69 for the 2,895 constituency projects.

Also speaking, a senator representing Imo West Senatorial district, Rochas Okorocha, who is also a member of the Senate Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary) stressed the need to place more emphasis on fixing insecurity in the north where attacks on schools have become the order of the day.