‘They’re toying with right of children to education’ — Falana chides states over failure to access N135bn UBEC grants

Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer, says state governments should be pressured to contribute their quota to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) grants for free education.

In a statement on Tuesday, Falana criticised state governments that are yet to access their UBE matching grants between 2020 and 2024.

On Monday, Hamid Bobboyi, executive secretary of UBEC, said 34 states have not accessed N135,540,905,308.92 matching grants between 2020 and 2024.

Bobboyi spoke when he presented the 2023 and 2024 budget implementation report to the senate committee on basic and secondary education.

He said Katsina and Kaduna states are the two states that had so far accessed the 2024 first and second quarter of their matching grants.

“Thirty-four states and FCT have accessed the 2020 matching grant; two states, Abia and Ogun, have not. Thirty-three states and FCT have accessed the 2021 matching grant; three states, Abia, Imo, and Ogun, have not,” he said.

“Twenty-nine states and FCT have accessed the 2022 matching grant; seven states, namely, Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Ogun, and Oyo, have not. Twenty-five states have accessed the first to fourth quarter 2023 matching grant, and one state, Rivers, accessed the first to second quarter 2023 matching grant.

“Nine states and FCT have not accessed the 2023 matching grant. The states are Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, and Plateau.

“Two states, namely Katsina and Kaduna, have accessed 1-2nd Quarter, 2024 matching grant; 34 states and FCT have not accessed 2024 matching grant.”

In his reaction, Falana said governors of the concerned states should not be allowed to toy with the right of indigent students to acquire education.

“In January 2024, we filed a suit at the federal high court praying for an order to compel the 36 state governments to access the sum of N68 billion in the account of the Universal Basic Education Commission. Some of the defendants have since questioned our locus standi to institute the action,” he said.

“However, it has been disclosed by management of the Universal Basic Education Commission that the fund not accessed by 34 states and the federal capital territory has increased to N135 billion due to the inexplicable failure to contribute the counterpart fund required by law.

“In view of the fact that both UNICEF and UNESCO have confirmed that Nigeria has 20.2 million out-of-school children, we are compelled to call on all patriotic Nigerians to mount sufficient pressure on the 34 state governments to access the UBE fund in order to educate every child in Nigeria in accordance with the provisions of the child’s rights law applicable in every state as well as the Child’s Rights Act applicable in the federal capital territory.

“Since every child is entitled to free and compulsory education from primary to junior secondary school under the child’s rights law and the Compulsory, Free, Universal Basic Education Act, the authorities of the 36 state governments and the federal capital territory should no longer be permitted to toy with the right of indigent children to acquire basic education.”