Education
34 states, FCT yet to access 2024 UBE matching grant — UBEC
By Francesca Hangeior.
The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Hamid Bobboyi, has revealed that 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory are yet to access the 2024 Universal Basic Education matching grant.
Bobboyi disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during the Senate Committee on Education’s (Basic and Secondary) oversight visit to the commission.
He noted that only Katsina and Kaduna states had accessed their first and second quarters of the 2024 matching grant.
Providing details of matching grants accessed between 2020 and 2024, Bobboyi said unaccessed UBE grants remain a significant challenge for basic and junior secondary education.
“For the 2020 UBE matching grant, 34 states and the FCT have accessed it, while two states—Abia and Ogun—have not. For 2021, 33 states and the FCT have accessed it, leaving Abia, Imo, and Ogun yet to do so.
“In 2022, 29 states and the FCT accessed the grants, with Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Ogun, and Oyo yet to access theirs. For 2023, 25 states accessed the grants for the first to fourth quarters,” he said.
Bobboyi further stated that N263.04 billion and N103.29 billion, representing 2 per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), were allocated to the commission under the 2024 and 2023 Appropriation Acts, respectively.
He added that N103.29 billion was fully released for 2023, while N219.20 billion had been released for 2024, representing 83.33 per cent of the year’s allocation.
Ranking state performances in accessing the UBE grants by geopolitical zones as of October 31, Bobboyi commended the North West zone for achieving 100 per cent.
The South-South zone followed with 97.92 per cent, North Central with 97.76 per cent, North East with 97.57 per cent, South West with 92.28 per cent, and South East with 85.37 per cent.
He identified key challenges facing the commission, including a lack of political will and commitment by some state governments, low budgetary allocations to basic education at state and local government levels, and poor teacher quality.
Bobboyi added, “Non-compliance with the Federal Government’s directive on teaching history in basic schools and the high number of out-of-school children are also major issues.”
Members of the Senate Committee on Education expressed concerns over the challenges. Senator Victor Umeh lamented the high number of out-of-school children in northern states despite higher allocations.
Senator Sunday Katung called for the reintroduction of history into the basic education curriculum, citing its importance for the younger generation.
Earlier, the committee chairman, Senator Lawal Usman, commended UBEC’s efforts but urged the commission to implement the committee’s recommendations and improve its operational framework.
The West African Examinations Council has released the timetable for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination for school candidates.
According to the final international timetable shared on WAEC’s official X handle on Monday, the examination will begin on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, and end on Friday, June 19, 2026.
The council said the examination will start with Foods and Nutrition 3 (Practical) Planning Session and Home Management 3 (Practical) Planning Session.
The examination includes core subjects such as English Language and Mathematics, along with a range of elective subjects in sciences, arts, humanities, and vocational or technical fields.
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the results of the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) for external candidates, with 71.63 per cent of them achieving five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.
Announcing the results on Tuesday, the Registrar and Chief Executive of NECO, Danlami Wushishi, disclosed that a total of 96,979 candidates registered for the examination nationwide.
Of this number, 51,823 candidates, representing 53.43 per cent, were males, while 45,156 candidates, representing 46.56 per cent, were females.
According to him, 95,160 candidates eventually sat for the examination, comprising 50,785 males (53.36 per cent) and 44,375 females (46.63 per cent).
Wushishi stated that 93,425 candidates sat for the English Language examination, out of which 73,167 candidates, representing 78.32 per cent, obtained credit passes and above. He added that 93,330 candidates sat for Mathematics, with 85,256 candidates, representing 91.35 per cent, securing credit passes and above.
He revealed that 68,166 candidates, representing 71.63 per cent, obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics. In addition, 82,082 candidates, representing 86.26 per cent, recorded five credits and above, irrespective of English Language and Mathematics.
NECO Registrar Danlami Wushishi and other officials during the announcement of the 2025 SSCE results for external students.
On examination malpractice, the NECO Registrar disclosed that 9,016 candidates were booked for various forms of malpractice, compared to 6,160 cases recorded in 2024, indicating an increase of 31.7 per cent.
He also announced that some supervisors and centres were sanctioned for their involvement in malpractice.
According to him, two supervisors from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and one each from Kano and Lagos States were recommended for appropriate sanctions.
Furthermore, four examination centres—two in Niger State, and one each in Yobe and Lagos States—were found culpable of whole-centre malpractice and have been recommended for de-recognition.
The NECO chief reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to maintaining the integrity and credibility of its examinations and warned stakeholders against engaging in practices that undermine the examination process.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has temporarily suspended the selection of examination towns for candidates registering for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Ekiti State.
The board announced the decision in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by its spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin. According to Benjamin, the suspension is part of efforts to restructure examination towns in the state to ensure centres are closer to candidates and to ease transportation challenges on examination days.
He explained that although candidates are normally allowed to choose examination towns nearest to them, the 2026 UTME registration began before certain structural issues were discovered in the configuration of Ekiti’s examination towns.
“These anomalies required urgent adjustments in the interest of candidates,” he said, adding that this made it necessary to temporarily halt the selection of exam towns in the state.
As a result, candidates registering in Ekiti will be unable to select any examination town in the state while the restructuring exercise is ongoing. Benjamin assured that the process would be concluded shortly.
JAMB also apologised for any inconvenience the development may cause candidates affected during the ongoing registration.
“The board regrets any inconvenience this temporary measure may cause. As part of our standard practice, JAMB continuously monitors its operations and swiftly addresses challenges reported by candidates,” the statement read.
Benjamin reaffirmed the board’s commitment to improving its processes and ensuring that all candidates are treated with dignity and respect throughout the examination and registration process.
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