The Federal Ministry of Education has condemned what it described as a “sponsored smear campaign” targeting Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba.
 
In an official statement yesterday, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the ministry’s attention had been drawn to “libellous” media reports circulated by an unknown group, operating under the name Education Rights Activists Coalition (ERAC).
 
The group had accused Garba of administrative misconduct and disregard for the rule of law – claims the ministry has dismissed as “baseless, misleading, and malicious.”
 
Alausa described the attacks as a deliberate attempt by “disgruntled individuals” to derail the ongoing reform agenda in basic education under Garba’s leadership.
 
“Aisha Garba is an internationally recognised education expert with over 24 years of experience, including 15 years at the World Bank. She has brought integrity, competence, and global best practices to UBEC,” he said.
 
According to the ministry, Garba’s tenure has seen major strides in access, equity, and quality of basic education. UBEC has constructed nearly 5,000 classrooms, renovated over 3,000, and established nationwide Early Childhood Care and Development centres.
 
More than five million textbooks and over 350,000 units of school furniture have also been distributed.In the area of teacher training, over 147,000 educators have been trained in modern teaching methods, and nearly 978,800 have benefitted from Nigeria’s largest-ever Teacher Professional Development initiative,” he added.
 
A major curriculum overhaul to embed digital literacy and entrepreneurship is also underway in partnership with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).
 
The ministry also noted that reforms introduced under Garba’s leadership have improved the 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 also been strengthened with major development partners, including the World Bank, UNICEF, KOICA, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO),” he added.
 
“Over 15,000 community projects have been implemented through the School-Based Management Committee–School Improvement Programme.
 
“The Education Ministry reaffirmed that no financial infractions or breaches have been recorded under Garba’s leadership and urged the public to disregard what it called “orchestrated falsehoods,” the statement added.
 
Alausa, therefore, noted that it was “disheartening that some subversive forces, threatened by Aisha Garba’s bold and transparent leadership, have resorted to sponsoring a smear campaign to derail the gains of the Renewed Hope agenda.