The executive secretary (ES) of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba, who has been accused of official misconduct, on Tuesday received the backing of the minister of education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, who described the allegations leveled against the ES as false.
In a statement, which was personally signed by him, the minister said his attention was drawn to what he called recent sponsored media reports and libelous statements circulated by a self-styled and unknown group, parading under the name “Education Rights Activists Coalition (ERAC).”
According to him, the report and its allegations were baseless, malicious, and with total disregard for the rule of law.
In his own words: “These claims are completely untrue, misleading, and clearly orchestrated by disgruntled individuals resisting the reform agenda currently transforming the basic education sector under her leadership.
“Ordinarily, the Ministry would have chosen to ignore such fabrications, but in this era of widespread misinformation, it is dangerous to allow falsehoods to take root in the public space. Aisha Garba is an internationally recognized education expert with over 24 years of experience—including 15 years at the World Bank—who has brought integrity, competence, and global best practices to UBEC. Her leadership aligns perfectly with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and has been pivotal in repositioning UBEC as a high-impact, transparent, and reform-focused institution.
“Under her leadership, UBEC has made significant strides in access, equity, quality, and systemic reform. The Commission has constructed 4,951 new classrooms, renovated 3,070 others, and established Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECCDE) centres nationwide. It has also supplied 353,625 units of school furniture and distributed over 5 million textbooks. To boost teacher capacity, more than 147,600 educators have been trained in modern, inclusive pedagogical methods. Furthermore, UBEC launched Nigeria’s largest-ever Teacher Professional Development initiative, reaching nearly 978,800 teachers. In partnership with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), a major curriculum overhaul was initiated to embed digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and critical thinking into basic education.
“In addition, Garba introduced major reforms in the utilization of the Basic Education Action Plan (BEAP) and the Matching Grant Formula to improve accountability and results-based planning. These reforms have led to increased access to UBE funds, with 28 states and the FCT drawing ₦78.6 billion out of the ₦120 billion allocated for 2024. Her administration has also strengthened institutional partnerships with key development partners including the World Bank, UNICEF, KOICA, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the FCDO. Over 15,000 community-driven projects have been implemented through the School-Based Management Committee–School Improvement Programme (SBMC–SIP). She continues to build strong governance frameworks and internal fiduciary controls to ensure transparency, with no breaches or infractions recorded to date.
“It is therefore disheartening that some subversive forces, threatened by Aisha Garba’s bold and transparent leadership, have resorted to sponsoring a smear campaign in an attempt to derail the gains of the Renewed Hope Agenda in the education sector. Their efforts are futile and will not succeed. The Ministry strongly condemns this orchestrated attack and urges the public to disregard these fabrications in their entirety.
“On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education, I reaffirm our full confidence in Aisha Garba and her continued leadership at UBEC. We stand firmly with her as she sustains her transformational efforts to deliver quality, safe, and inclusive basic education to Nigerian children and reposition our education system for global competitiveness.”
