Education Minister Defends UBEC Boss, Dismisses Allegations As Malicious

By Iyojo Ameh

The Federal Ministry of Education has dismissed allegations of administrative misconduct against the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba, describing them as baseless and politically motivated.

In a statement on Tuesday, Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, condemned what he called a “sponsored media campaign” allegedly orchestrated by the Education Rights Activists Coalition (ERAC), which had accused Garba of flouting due process and engaging in acts of misconduct.

Dr. Alausa described the allegations as “completely untrue, misleading, and clearly orchestrated by disgruntled individuals resisting the reform agenda currently transforming the basic education sector under her leadership.”

He praised Garba’s performance, noting that her administration has recorded major achievements in access, equity, quality, and system-wide reforms in basic education.

“UBEC has constructed 4,951 new classrooms, renovated 3,070 others, and established Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECCDE) centres nationwide. The Commission also supplied 353,625 units of school furniture and distributed over 5 million textbooks,” the minister said.

He further stated that under her leadership, over 147,600 educators have been trained in inclusive and modern teaching methods, while nearly 978,800 teachers have benefited from Nigeria’s largest-ever Teacher Professional Development initiative.

Alausa also cited ongoing curriculum reforms in partnership with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to embed digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and critical thinking into the basic education curriculum.

Additionally, the minister highlighted reforms in the Basic Education Action Plan (BEAP) and the Matching Grant Formula that have improved transparency and increased access to UBE funds.

“So far, 28 states and the FCT have accessed ₦78.6 billion out of the ₦120 billion allocated for 2024,” Alausa noted.

He added that Garba’s leadership has deepened partnerships with development organizations such as the World Bank, UNICEF, KOICA, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the UK’s FCDO. Over 15,000 community-driven projects have also been implemented under the School-Based Management Committee–School Improvement Programme (SBMC–SIP).

The minister reaffirmed the Ministry’s confidence in Garba’s leadership, stressing her alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“She continues to build strong governance frameworks and internal fiduciary controls to ensure transparency, with no breaches or infractions recorded to date,” the statement added.

Alausa urged the public to disregard the allegations, describing them as fabrications intended to derail the progress being made in Nigeria’s basic education sector.

“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.