National
UBEC and Partnership with Sub nationals
BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF
The Renewed desire by the state governors under the leadership of the Nigeria Governors Forum NGF led by the Kwara State Governor , Abdulrahman Abdulfatah to partner with the Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC with a view to resolving the lingering issues of unassessed yearly matching grants, from the federal government to the tune of over 50 Billion is nearing resolution, to better the lot of Basic Education in the country.
This was a fallout of frequent clamour by the leadership of UBEC in any public fora of the inability of states to adhere to payment of counterpart funding, to enable them assess the already available fund provided by the federal government.
The latest was during the visit of members of the House of Representatives on oversight function to the commission, were the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive officer, Dr Hamid Bobboyi reiterated the lackadaisical attitude of state governments towards assessing the yearly readily available funds , stating that in the last three years from 2020-2023 only 16 states out of the 36 states including the FCT have accessed the matching grants.
This according to the commission, are one of the factors bedeviling the smooth running and operations of Basic Education across the country.
According to the UBEC handlers, the uncooperative attitude of state governments has left the burden of running Basic Education in Nigerian only in the hands of the central government, a situation that does not augur well not only for the development of the foundation level of Education, but learning will not take place as expected.
Sixteen states of the federation out of the 36 states and FCT was less than half of the states across nation, a situation the Executive Secretary, called for improvement and renewed vigour in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu.
It will be uncalled for the state governments to continue to display apathy towards the development of Basic Education through their counterpart funding, that will translate to more attention to primary and Junior Secondary Schools across Nigeria.
In the last five years, the clamour by the Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC of the non assessibility of counterpart funding has become alarming and embarrassing both at the sub national level and at other fora, that led to the plan convening of meeting between the state governors of 36 states under the umbrella of Nigerian Governors Forum NGF in few days to come , at the instance of 36 governors and the Federal Capital Territory FCT.
The planned meeting with expected positive results will reduce the burden of funding not only on the federal government, reduce Out of school children OOSC, Infrastructural development and decay, manpower development and the need to provide working tools along with capacity building and development.
With the envisaged resolution of the need to access the matching grants by state governors, the amendment of the obsolete act, provision of more funding as advocated by some states governors and the efforts of both local and foreign donors , supports from countries, the debilitating effects despite government at the federal level concerted efforts towards advancing Basic Education will be improved.
Already the Niger State Governor , Umar Bago has kicked against the 80B subsidy for the 2024 Hajj , insisting that such funds should be channel to UBEC to expand the scope of attention granted to the development of Basic Education in the country.
Some stakeholders and administrators has also supported the laudable programs of the management of the Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC, under the leadership of Dr Hamid Bobboyi with a view to taking primary and post primary school in Nigeria to greater heights.
What UBEC and the sub national headed by the Nigeria Governors Forum NGF under the chairmanship of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulfatah of Kwara State is to arrive on the same page on the issue of Basic Education funding, rather than deferring at any public fora.
With the action of the NGF, it is obvious that the management of Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC has been vindicated for all its clamour all this years on the non assessment of most states governors of the counterpart and readily available funds provided yearly by the federal government by the state government, due to the refusal of state government and FCT to provide their own side of funds and agreement.
The sad development when improved will reduce to the barest minimum, the growing population of out of school children OOSC, Infrastructural decay, lack of adequate manpower, including training and retraining.
The new clamour of NGF and UBEC will also encourage the Federal Government, National Assembly into accepting the idea of increasing and allocating more funds as well as states assessing fully on a yearly basis the readily available matching grants.
The insistence and patriotic stance of the leadership of the commission is gradually paying off, towards resolving the decades impasse militating against foundation Education and learners triumph.
ABUBAKAR YUSUF Writes on yus.abubakar@gmail.com.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially dissolved the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), which includes the removal of Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) Mele Kyari and Chairman Pius Akinyelure, along with all other board members appointed in November 2023.
In an announcement, the President introduced an 11-member restructured board, appointing Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the new GCEO and Ahmadu Musa Kida as the Non-Executive Chairman. These changes are effective immediately, as stated by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy.
Emphasizing the need for “enhanced operational efficiency, restored investor confidence, and a more commercially viable NNPC,” President Tinubu exercised his authority under Section 59(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 to implement this significant reorganization.
The newly formed board comprises Adedapo Segun, who continues as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), alongside six non-executive directors representing Nigeria’s geopolitical zones: Bello Rabiu (North West), Yusuf Usman (North East), Babs Omotowa (North Central), Austin Avuru (South-South), David Ige (South West), and Henry Obih (South East). Additionally, Mrs. Lydia Shehu Jafiya, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, and Aminu Said Ahmed, representing the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, will serve on the board.
The President has charged the new board with conducting a strategic review of NNPC-operated and Joint Venture assets to optimize value. This includes increasing crude oil production to 2 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2027 and 3 million bpd by 2030, boosting gas production to 8 billion cubic feet daily by 2027 and 10 billion by 2030, and expanding NNPC’s refining capacity to 200,000 bpd by 2027 and 500,000 bpd by 2030. The administration also aims to attract $30 billion in oil investments by 2027 and $60 billion by 2030, building on the $17 billion secured in 2024.
Ahmadu Musa Kida, the new Chairman, is a Borno-born engineer and former Deputy Managing Director of Total Nigeria. He also has a background in basketball, having served as the ex-president of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF). Bashir Bayo Ojulari, the newly appointed GCEO, hails from Kwara State and was previously the Executive Vice President of Renaissance Africa Energy, where he led a $2.4 billion acquisition of Shell’s Nigerian assets. He brings extensive experience from Elf and Shell, having worked across Europe and the Middle East.
President Tinubu expressed gratitude to the outgoing board for their contributions, particularly their efforts in reviving the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, which have resumed production after years of dormancy. Analysts view this leadership change as part of Tinubu’s broader reforms in the oil sector, following last year’s removal of fuel subsidies and the promotion of private refinery investments. With the new team established, there are high expectations for enhanced transparency, efficiency, and profitability within Nigeria’s state oil enterprise.
Heineken Lokpobiri, minister of state for petroleum resources, says the federal government plans to commence implementing the drill-or-drop provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Section 94 of the PIA gives operators a period of three years to begin oil production or relinquish the assets to the federal government.
Speaking during the Cross Industry Group (CIG) meeting held on Tuesday in Florence, Italy, Lokpobiri said it is in the best interest of the country that all inactive wells go to work.
He said the federal government, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, has provided every necessary incentive to ensure international oil companies (IOCs) in Nigeria run smoothly and profitably.
“Now, it is imperative for these industry players to match the government’s efforts with increased investment by announcing final investment decisions (FIDs),” he said.
Furthermore, Lokpobiri discussed “the challenges, expectations, and measures to enhance the sector’s contributions towards domestic energy needs and regional expansion across Sub-Saharan Africa”.
He emphasised that while IOCs have highlighted engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors as a challenge, “EPCs will not come unless they see strong commitments from industry players”.
“The government has done its part to provide the requisite and investment-friendly fiscals, the ball is now in the court of the IOCs and other operators to make strategic investment decisions that will drive increased production and sustainability in the sector,” he said.
“We must also recognise that domestic crude supply is essential to national energy security. The best solution to this challenge lies in increasing production, which will ensure a balance between domestic supply obligations and external commitments.”
The minister further urged industry players to explore collaborative measures, such as shared resources for contiguous assets and the release of underutilised assets to operators ready to invest in production.
The minority caucus in the house of representatives has condemned the killing of 16 Kano-bound hunters in Edo state.
On Thursday, a mob in the Uromi area of Edo killed 16 hunters of northern descent who were travelling from Elele, Rivers state.
The travellers were attacked and lynched after some vigilance group members raised the alarm on suspicion that they were kidnappers.
The Edo state government said 14 suspects arrested in connection with the killing would be transferred to Abuja for further interrogation.
During a visit to some of the families of the victims at Bankure LGA in Kano, Monday Okpebholo, governor of Edo, assured that justice would be served.
In a statement issued on Monday, the minority caucus described the killing of the hunters as “barbaric”.
“We find such brutal killings of innocent Nigerians in any part of the country by lawless mobs very reprehensible, and if allowed to fester without being put in check by responsible organs of the federal government, such actions could threaten the peace and unity of the country,” the statement reads.
The lawmakers asked Nigerians never to resort to jungle attacks on fellow citizens but to always report any concerns to security agencies.
“We are a nation under the rule of laws, and our law enforcement agencies are always available to partner with every Nigerian to assuage their concerns,” the caucus said.
While noting that the incident is “already setting emotions on edge” in parts of the country, the legislators urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the security agencies investigate this matter and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“Also, adequate compensation should be paid to the affected families,” the caucus said.
The lawmakers implored Nigerians to remain calm, peaceful, and law-abiding and allow the federal and state governments to investigate the matter and ensure justice is served.
The statement was signed by Kingsley Chinda, minority leader; Ali Isa, minority whip; and Aliyu Madaki, deputy minority leader.