Rep member Agbese raises alarm over alleged autocracy in UBEC

Philip Agbese, a member of the House of Representatives, has raised concerns over what he described as a “gradual erosion of institutional integrity” within the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC.

Speaking on the sidelines of a joint legislative retreat on the UBE Act Amendment Bill 2025 in Lagos on Thursday, Agbese, who represents Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadigbo federal constituency of Benue, said key provisions of the UBEC Act were being violated through unilateral decisions that undermine transparency, accountability, and the morale of staff within the agency.

Recall that the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Aisha Garba, who assumed office in December 2024 following her appointment by President Bola Tinubu, had publicly said that tackling the crisis of Nigeria’s 10.5 million out-of-school children would be the central focus of her administration.

However, Agbese alleges that her goal may be on the verge of being imperilled owning to the style of leadership adopted.

“We’re beginning to observe a creeping autocracy that has no place in a statutory agency like UBEC. Leadership in a federal agency demands respect for internal processes, institutions, and statutory roles, not a command-and-control structure driven by personal convictions alone,” Agbese said.

According to him, lawmakers had been briefed on multiple troubling developments, including the implementation of a new organogram without formal approval by the UBEC Governing Board, as required under Section 6(h) of the UBE Act.

Agbese, who also doubles as the deputy spokesperson at the House of Rep, said the decision to restructure the Commission’s reporting lines without due consultation was both irregular and legally questionable.

“This is not just about bureaucracy, it’s about legality. We have confirmed that a new organogram was introduced without the knowledge or approval of the board. That’s a breach. It must be suspended pending proper review by the National Assembly and the board itself,” he declared.

The lawmaker also expressed dismay over the deployment of officers from other Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) into senior UBEC roles, allegedly bypassing qualified internal staff.

“You can’t claim to be building capacity when you’re simultaneously destroying institutional memory. Bringing in outsiders to head key departments while competent UBEC staff are sidelined violates the spirit of Section 10(1) and (3) of the UBE Act. It’s demoralising and destabilising,” he stressed.

Agbese said the most alarming trend is the reported marginalisation of the two Deputy Executive Secretaries (DES), whose statutory roles are being “deliberately undermined” in what he described as a “worrying power consolidation”.

“The Executive Secretary is said to be taking all decisions unilaterally. The DESs are barely consulted. Their statutory responsibilities under Section 5(2) and (3) have been reduced to ceremonial roles. That’s not how UBEC was designed to function,” he said.

The lawmaker maintained that the over-centralisation of authority has created operational bottlenecks, slowed down programme delivery, and delayed payments for completed constituency projects.

“Routine approvals are stuck because nothing moves unless it comes from the Executive Secretary’s table. Contractors are not being paid for projects completed as far back as February. That’s unacceptable and is now beginning to affect the reputation of National Assembly members who facilitated those interventions,” he noted.

Agbese called on the federal government to intervene urgently and re-establish proper oversight mechanisms to restore internal efficiency and rule-based governance at UBEC.

“Let me be clear—we are not opposed to reforms. We welcome any effort to reduce the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria. But no reform can succeed in an environment of opacity, sidelining, and institutional arrogance,” he said.

He recommended an immediate performance audit of UBEC’s leadership and delegation practices, a halt to further external staff deployments, and a directive for the Governing Board to meet and review all structural changes implemented since December.

The lawmaker also revealed that the House Committee on Basic Education may summon Garba for a closed-door briefing on the state of affairs at the Commission.

“We will not allow any public institution to drift into impunity under our watch. If the Executive Secretary has nothing to hide, then she should have no problem answering these questions,” Agbese said.

“We can’t afford a technocratic dictatorship under the guise of reform. Nigeria’s education system is too fragile for that,” the lawmaker added.

Rep member Agbese raises alarm over alleged autocracy in UBEC