Federal Ministry of Education Condemns Smear Campaign Against UBEC Executive Secretary
Abuja – August 5, 2025
- By Our Correspondent
The Federal Ministry of Education has condemned what it describes as a “sponsored smear campaign” against the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Aisha Garba.
In an official statement released Tuesday, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, dismissed recent media reports circulated by a faceless group under the name Education Rights Activists Coalition (ERAC) as “libellous, baseless, and malicious.”
The allegations—which accused Dr. Garba of administrative misconduct and flouting due process—were described as a desperate effort by “disgruntled individuals” to undermine the reforms and progress being driven under her leadership.
Dr. Alausa praised Garba’s credentials, highlighting her over 24 years of experience in education, including 15 years with the World Bank. “She has brought integrity, professionalism, and global best practices to UBEC,” he noted.
Under her tenure, the Ministry recorded unprecedented progress in access, quality, and equity in basic education. Achievements include:
Construction of nearly 5,000 new classrooms and renovation of over 3,000 others.
Establishment of nationwide Early Childhood Care and Development Centres.
Distribution of more than 5 million textbooks and over 350,000 school furniture units.
Training of over 147,000 teachers in modern methodologies.
Implementation of Nigeria’s largest Teacher Professional Development Programme, reaching nearly 978,800 educators.
A major curriculum overhaul embedding digital literacy and entrepreneurship, in collaboration with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), is also underway.
Additionally, the Ministry reported improved utilisation of the Basic Education Action Plan (BEAP) and the Matching Grant Formula, with ₦78.6 billion accessed by 28 states and the FCT in 2024 alone.
Institutional partnerships have flourished under Garba’s leadership, engaging global bodies such as the World Bank, UNICEF, KOICA, Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the UK’s FCDO. Over 15,000 community-driven projects have been delivered through the School-Based Management Committee–School Improvement Programme.
The Ministry emphasized that no financial infractions have been recorded under her stewardship and urged the public to disregard the “orchestrated falsehoods.”
“We stand firmly with Dr. Aisha Garba as she continues her transformative mission to ensure quality, safe, and inclusive basic education for every Nigerian child,” the Minister stated.
