Stakeholders in Nigeria’s education sector have reacted to recent developments at the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), attributing ongoing reforms in the primary education system to the leadership of the Commission’s Executive Secretary, Aisha Garba, and the decision by President Bola Tinubu to appoint her.
The Education and Tech Coalition of Activists and Social Entrepreneurs, in a joint statement issued on Monday, acknowledged what it described as “practical shifts” in the country’s basic education structure since Garba assumed office.
The coalition’s co-chairs, Olaonipekun Kazeem, Executive Director of Focus Teens Foundation, and Olamide Apejoye, Head of Developing Engineering Leaders, said the appointment reflects the administration’s commitment to addressing long-standing challenges in the education sector.
The statement said, “UBEC, under the leadership of Aisha Garba as its Executive Secretary, have implemented reforms that have directly impacted basic education across the country. Out-of-school children are getting back in classrooms, while some are accessing school for the first time. Her leadership has also improved the quality of education through the upgrade of learning tools and teaching in order to increase positive outcomes.”
The coalition also noted that Garba’s recruitment from the World Bank, where she had previously led large-scale education and skills development programmes, was indicative of a deliberate policy direction by the Tinubu administration.
“This would have been impossible without the help and support of President Tinubu, who went out of his way to bring Dr Garba from the World Bank, signalling how important his administration is keen on education reforms in Nigeria,” the coalition said.
Separately, social commentator and founder of Alpha Reach, JJ Omojuwa, stated in a post on X that Garba’s appointment has enabled state governments to access matching grants from UBEC, overcoming a long-standing administrative bottleneck.
“For two decades, an ordinary document created a stumbling block for states to access matching grants. This meant stalled access to education for many children. Aisha changed that,” Omojuwa wrote.
He explained further: “She reformed the system by removing long-standing bureaucratic cogs and helped to open access to the states who are now able to do a lot more than ever as they plug into the UBEC matching grants.”
According to him, the reforms have resulted in a utilisation rate of over 60% of available funds, reaching around three million children, and contributing to the distribution of six million books to primary schools, alongside the supply of about 500,000 library materials.
He also highlighted Garba’s background managing a \$3 billion education portfolio across countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia, and Ghana during her time at the World Bank, noting that these experiences have informed her approach to public sector reform.
Social media users have also weighed in. One user, @MaziNnaEmeka, wrote, “didn’t come in to play politics, she came in to work, and she’s already breaking 20-year barriers that kept millions of children from accessing education.” Another, @HighChiefOkoro, posted,
“This is what purposeful leadership looks like. No noise, just results. @AishaMGarba is proving that with the right competence and vision, even the most rigid systems can be reformed for impact.”
The comments reflect growing attention to developments in the basic education sector, particularly in relation to how federal interventions are being translated into outcomes at the state and community levels. While UBEC has yet to issue an official response to the commentary, discussions around the Commission’s performance under its current leadership continue to gain traction.
