- Federal Ministry of Education dismisses allegations against UBEC Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba.
- Minister of State for Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, reaffirms UBEC’s achievements under Garba’s leadership.
- Over 5,000 classrooms built and 147,000 teachers trained as part of major reforms in basic education.
The Federal Ministry of Education has dismissed recent allegations against the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba, calling them a smear campaign orchestrated by faceless detractors.
Eko Hot Blog reports that The rebuttal comes after a group claiming to be the Education Rights Activists Coalition (ERAC) alleged administrative misconduct and violation of due process under Garba’s leadership.
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However, the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, strongly refuted the claims.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Dr. Alausa described the allegations as baseless, misleading, and malicious.
He asserted that the anonymous group behind the claims is working to distract and derail the progress being made in the basic education sector.
“Aisha Garba is an internationally recognised education expert with over 24 years of experience, including 15 years at the World Bank. She has brought integrity, competence, and global best practices to UBEC,” the minister stated.
Since assuming office, Garba’s tenure has been marked by significant reforms. Nearly 5,000 new classrooms have been constructed, over 3,000 classrooms renovated, and more than 5 million textbooks and 350,000 school furniture units have been distributed across the country.
Additionally, over 147,000 teachers have been trained in modern teaching methods, and nearly 978,800 teachers have benefitted from Nigeria’s largest-ever teacher development initiative.
Early childhood care centres have also been rolled out nationwide, while curriculum reform integrating digital literacy and entrepreneurship is ongoing in collaboration with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).
The ministry also revealed that improved Basic Education Action Plan (BEAP) processes helped 28 states and the FCT access N78.6 billion in Matching Grants in 2024.
Garba’s leadership has also strengthened partnerships with international donors and agencies, including the World Bank, UNICEF, KOICA, the Islamic Development Bank, and FCDO.
More than 15,000 school-community projects have been implemented through the School-Based Management Committee–School Improvement Programme (SBMC–SIP).
Dr. Alausa reaffirmed that there is no case of financial misconduct under Garba’s watch and urged Nigerians to disregard the false claims.
“We stand firmly with Aisha Garba as she continues her transformational work to deliver quality, safe, and inclusive basic education to Nigerian children,” he said.
The ministry reiterated its commitment to supporting reforms that ensure access, equity, and quality in basic education while warning against campaigns aimed at discrediting those driving change.
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