Education Minister Dismisses Allegations Of Misconduct Against UBEC Boss

The Federal Ministry of Education has condemned an alleged sponsored media campaign against the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba.

In a statement, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, described the allegations levelled against Garba by the Education Rights Activists Coalition (ERAC) as baseless and malicious.

They accused Garba of administrative misconduct and disregard for the rule of law.

However, the minister dismissed the claims as “completely untrue, misleading, and clearly orchestrated by disgruntled individuals resisting the reform agenda currently transforming the basic education sector under her leadership.”

According to Alausa, Garba’s leadership has brought significant strides in access, equity, quality, and systemic reform to UBEC.

“Under her leadership, UBEC has made significant strides in access, equity, quality, and systemic reform. 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.

“In addition, 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),” the minister said.

The minister emphasised that Garba’s leadership aligns perfectly with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and has repositioned UBEC as a high-impact, transparent, and reform-focused institution.

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

The minister reaffirmed the ministry’s confidence in Aisha Garba and her continued leadership at UBEC, urging the public to disregard the fabrications and condemning the orchestrated attack.

“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,” the statement read.

Education Minister Dismisses Allegations Of Misconduct Against UBEC Boss is first published on The Whistler Newspaper