Yemisi Izuora
Constitutional lawyer and human rights activist Femi Falana, has said that only stakeholders monitoring can save the N142 billion Universal Basic Education Fund, UBE, due to be disbursed from being diverted by state governments.
Falana states that in Nigeria, every child is entitled to free and compulsory education from primary to junior secondary school but no state government has seriously implemented the program.
Majority of state governments refused to contribute counterpart fund to assess the Universal Basic Education (UBE) fund, he said adding that only last year, the Federal Government accepted his suggestion to deduct outstanding counterpart fund from london/paris club loan refund which accrued to State governments.
The Federal Governments also agreed not to disburse the fund before the last 2019 general election.
Falana disclosed that today, the UBE has N142 billion in its account and that in addition, 2 per cent of the consolidated revenue fund of the federal government in the 2019 budget will be added to the UBE fund.
“I have confirmed that the fund will be disbursed in June 2019. If the fund is judiciously spent, child illiteracy will be substantially reduced in the country. But unless the NFIU, media, community leaders, CIvil Society etc monitor the disbursement, the fund will be diverted once again by state governments”, he advised.