Falana urges governors to utilise ₦267bn basic education funds
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has urged governors of the 36 states and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to utilise ₦267 billion in released intervention funds and access over ₦65 billion in…
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) operates a matching-grant arrangement under which the federal government releases intervention funds to states, but only after each state deposits a counterpart contribution in its State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) account. This structure, meant to compel states to co-invest in primary and junior secondary education, has long been criticised for leaving billions of naira in UBEC funds unaccessed for years, as many states fail or delay in providing their matching share. The result has been dilapidated classrooms, shortages of instructional materials and teachers, and a basic education system that continues to underperform despite the existence of dedicated federal funding.
Femi Falana, a prominent human rights lawyer, has repeatedly used public interventions to press state governments on accountability for public funds, including education allocations. His latest call, directed at the 36 state governors and the FCT Minister, highlights both the ₦267 billion already released and an additional sum exceeding ₦65 billion still available but unclaimed, underscoring a recurring governance gap between funds availability and actual utilisation for basic education. Vanguard and ThisDay's reports align closely on the figures and the appeal itself, though neither outlet's headlines indicate what specific conditions states must meet to unlock the remaining funds or a timeline for compliance.