Kwara to invest N14b in basic education September 7, 2020 - Nigeria

Kwara to invest N14b in basic education September 7, 2020 - Nigeria


Kwara to invest N14b in basic education September 7, 2020 - Nigeria
Governor AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq administration has given the state the nod to access N7.1billion facility from its six-year backlog of outstanding Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) funds

The Kwara State Government has concluded plans to invest N14billion in basic education.

The Governor AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq administration has given the state the nod to access N7.1billion facility from its six-year backlog of outstanding Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) funds, it was gathered.

The money will serve as 50 per cent matching grants for the UBEC counterpart funds and is to be spent to bridge the gap in its basic education sector, including strengthening infrastructure, training and equipping teachers with modern teaching skills, providing instruction materials and buying vehicles to aid performance of monitoring and quality assurance activities across the state,  Communications Commissioner Harriet Afolabi-Oshatimehin quoted Finance and Planning Commissioner Olasumbo Florence Oyeyemi to have told the executive council (exco) at a meeting.

Mrs. Afolabi-Oshatimehin said Kwara had Nigeria’s highest outstanding UBEC funds following the backlist slammed on it for diverting what it accessed in 2013.

The state exited the pariah status last year after the new administration repaid the N450million that was diverted, although it still has a backlog of N7,151,000,000.00 with the UBEC.

The communications commissioner said the bank facility would be accessed and drawn in batches.

Added to the N7.1 billion matching grants from UBEC, she said Kwara would commit at least N14.3billion to revitalise the basic education sector across the state – a great addition to the investments the government was making in the education sector.

Afolabi-Oshatimehin told the exco that the facility became necessary in the face of dwindling resources to subnational governments across the country and the overarching need in the state to invest in basic education for a brighter future.

The exco decision will be conveyed to the House of Assembly for its approval and inclusion of same in a supplementary budget, which the government may seek to deepen investments across productive sectors of the economy, according to The Nation.

Previous Post Next Post