The Federal Government has released the sum of N71.3bn from the Paris Club refund to the Universal Basic Education Commission for the provision of much-needed infrastructure in public primary and secondary schools across the country.
The UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, stated this in Abuja during a briefing on Wednesday.
Bobboyi said the commission would disburse the money to the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in three months’ time so as to enable them to commence the rehabilitation of the various public schools.
Bobboyi said that apart from the Paris Club refund, the commission would disburse another N71.3bn, which is the marching grant for the states and the FCT, totaling N142.6bn.
He said, “The Federal Government will credit the account of UBEC with about N71.3bn. We are going to add the matching grants and so, in the next few months, the states are going to get a total of N142.6bn. The money is to ensure the provision of needed facilities in public primary and junior secondary schools in the country.
“The sum of N71.3bn was deducted by the Federal Government from the Paris Club Refund accruing to the states. The other N71.3bn will come from the marching grants from UBEC. By the next three, four months or at most five months, we will have no un-accessed funds in UBEC.
“Why am I making the promise? It is because the Federal Government found it (the un-accessed funds) inappropriate and discussed it with the states. It thereafter deducted from the Paris Club refund the entire amount meant for the states up to August 2017.”
Bobboyi said that UBEC had also successfully conducted a head count of teachers and pupils in primary and secondary schools across the country, noting that the census would be formally announced by February 2019.
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