Thread by @toluogunlesi

I hope the debate about adjustment in UBE money in 2020 budget(a fixed % of CRF, btw) will help shed light on how the system works:
That the money
1. Goes to States
2. Is a Matching Grant ie States have to put up money to unlock an equivalent amount due to them

Ff this #Thread

As you might be aware, Basic Education in Nigeria is the primary responsibility of States and LGAs. Which is why the UBEC Funding, which comes from the FG, is set up as a grant that goes to the States, for them to use to develop basic education infrastructure.

As a sign of commitment, States are expected to commit funding to UBE, to unlock the Matching grants due to them. So, bring 1 billion and collect 2 billion. That kind of thing.

But guess what’s been happening.

The States are - and this is the sad truth - generally reluctant to access their UBE funding, as important as it is. They don’t pay up their contributions to unlock the matching grant, so the money just sits there unused, while basic education remains in dire need of investment.

I did a little digging - not even real digging per se, the info is public on UBEC website: I found data about UNACCESSED UBEC MATCHING GRANTS from July 2019, a year ago.

There was 51 BILLION Naira of untouched funds lying there in UBEC, a year ago.

See state by state breakdown

You can find the document here: ubec-static.s3.amazonaws.com/media/grant/UP…

See the 2019 figures: each State entitled to 614 million in UBEC matching grant. Which means they have to each bring 614 million Naira and collect 1.2. Billion Naira that they can invest in basic education.

I’m keen to see the current data on UNACCESSED UBEC matching grant (June 2020), to see which States have paid their 2019 obligations & collected their money.

A State Gov cannot tell you they’re serious about education and then fail to access their UBEC grant. Doesn’t add up.

Let’s look at those numbers again. Look at Kwara State. As at a year ago, July 2019, Kwara had UNACCESSED UBEC matching grants dating back to 2011. It’s like they didn’t even contribute anything.

Ekiti, and Nasarawa too left their UBEC money on the table, between 2015-2018

Kwara in those years allegedly diverted money that should have been counterpart funding for their Matching Grant, into “non-educational” spending, & got blacklisted by UBEC. So that it became “the state with highest amount of frozen grants in the country.” premiumtimesng.com/investigations…

It’s only since @RealAARahman has taken office that Kwara has now started redressing the issue. In 2019 the new Governor approved repayment of the diverted counterpart funding money, to get Kwara off the UBEC blacklist: premiumtimesng.com/regional/north…

Similar story in Ekiti. Did not pay counterpart funding “for 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.” @kfayemi in 2019 began clearing the backlog:
google.com/amp/s/www.vang…

So this is the actual mechanics of this UBE money. There’s an annual grant that must be “unlocked” with matching counterpart funding. That’s how it works. Very important to understand that. So that pressure can be directed where it really matters, and is not misplaced.

For me, it’s kinda sad to see all the media outrage over an uncontroversial adjustment in 2020 UBEC budget (it’s tied by % to CRF, so lower revenue projections mean a lower budget allocation), while people IGNORE the fact that there’s BILLIONS from previous years still untouched.

And this is why I keep advocating for us to educate ourselves about the things we comment on and get angry about. Otherwise it ends up as misplaced and INEFFECTUAL outrage.

The real issues with UBEC are:
1. How to pressure States to pay up
2. Accountability for ACTUAL spendings

How can the backlog of UNACCESSED grants get cleared? What mechanisms needed to get Governors to commit to clearing them. And when the money gets paid to States, who’s monitoring the spending? The contracts etc. Ensuring that the money translates into actual value on the ground?

This from February 2020:

“The unaccessed Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) matching grants to state governments currently stand at N73 billion, the Executive Secretary, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, has disclosed.” m.guardian.ng/news/unaccesse…

73 BILLION NAIRA available but UNUSED.

Now, cool story. S’thg interesting PMB did regarding arrears of UNACCESSED funds: He approved the deduction of States’ counterpart funding from their Paris Club Refunds, to clear arrears up till 2018. Many States benefited, hence their zero 2018 Nos: google.com/amp/s/punchng.…

All of this information and context is necessary if we do not want to be, as a Yoruba proverb puts it, guilty of ignoring leprosy and instead focusing on treating ringworm.

So, because of the at-source deductions from States’ Paris Club Refunds, in 2018/2019, there was a fresh pot of N172 Billion available to the States for investment in Basic Education.

Many States have claimed their money.

Do we (citizens) know how the States spent the funds?

As at February 2020, another 70+ Billion Naira in UNACCESSED UBEC Funds. Awaiting counterpart funding. Every year the sums grow. Because every year new money is budgeted by @NigeriaGov for UBEC. For the benefit of the States.

Time to focus attention where it really matters, no?