By Joseph Edegbo
The Kebbi State Universal Basic l (SUBEB) has called on the media not to rely on inaccurate data to conclude that the state has failed to access its N1.39 billion from UBEC.
Media reports had claimed that Kebbi was among four Northwest states, including Katsina, Kano, and Kaduna had failed to pay counterpart funding to be able to access the UBEC funds.
However, the Executive Chairman of the SUBEB, Prof. Sulaiman Khalid, clarified that the media report by Solacebase, was inaccurate, adding that the State Governor, Nasir Idris had approved the payment of the counterpart fund, enable the state to fully access the funds.
“The report claiming that Kebbi State has failed to access N1.39 billion in UBEC funds is inaccurate. Governor Nasir Idris graciously approved the the payment of the counterpart fund, and the Kebbi state government has fully accessed these funds. There are no unutilized funds held at UBEC.
“For the clarity of the public, the N1.39 billion mentioned in the report relates to the 2023 Federal Government Statutory Allocation of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Matching Grant. This grant is allocated annually to each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“According to the law, state governments must provide an equivalent sum as Counterpart Funds to access the UBE Matching Grant. In 2023, Kebbi State’s required Counterpart Fund was exactly N1,395,784,959.51.
“The process for accessing these funds is time-bound, as the statutory allocation is released by the Federal Government on a monthly basis throughout the year. Consequently, states can only fully access their allocated funds after December 31st of each year”, Khalid clarified.
“Kebbi state government complied with these requirements. On May 3, 2024, the state deposited its Counterpart Fund of N1,395,784,959.14 into the account of the Kebbi State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and promptly informed UBEC of the payment. Subsequently, on July 12, 2024, UBEC matched this payment by depositing an equivalent sum into the Kebbi SUBEB account. UBEC also approved the state’s 2023 Action Plan for the implementation of UBE projects.
“With this full payment, Kebbi SUBEB now has N2,789,570,018.00 available for the execution of the 2023 UBE Intervention Projects. The funds will be utilized as follows, in strict compliance with the 2007 Procurement Act and the approved Action Plan:
– New Constructions: 36.56%
– Renovations: 39.98%
– Furniture and Equipment: 13.46%
– Water Supply and Sanitation: 3.00%
– Agricultural Education and Entrepreneurship: 2.00%
– Sports Development: 1.00%
– Quality Assurance: 2.00%
– Projects Monitoring
“The procurement processes are nearing completion, and contractors will soon be mobilized to project sites across the 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
“We invite civil society organizations, community development associations, and other non-state actors to participate in monitoring the implementation of these projects. Their involvement will help ensure transparency and accountability, and that Kebbi State achieves value for the funds invested in its educational sector.
“At Kebbi SUBEB, we firmly believe that “Education for All is the Responsibility of All.” We are committed to ensuring that every child in Kebbi State has access to quality education, and we appreciate the continued support of our partners and the community in achieving this goal,” the Executive chairman said.
