Falana underscores right to free education, flays errant state govts

ICPC tracks N610b meant for education, others

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has called on federal and state governments to implement the Child Rights Law, by providing free education to pupils from primary to junior secondary schools in the country. He also condemned the failure of the 34 state governments and Federal Capital Territory to access N135 billion Universal Basic Education (UBE) fund.

According to Falana, who is the Chairman of Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), the Child Rights Law states that every child is entitled to free and compulsory education from primary to junior secondary school.

Recall that Falana had, in January 2024, instituted a suit against the Federal Government and 36 states over the issue of out-of-school children in the country.

Falana filed the suit alongside an early childhood education specialist, Hauwa Mustapha, on behalf of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, wherein he listed the attorneys general of the 36 states of the Federation and the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja as respondents in the suit.

The plaintiff, in the suit, is praying for an order to compel the 36 state governments to access the sum of N68 billion in the account of the Universal Basic Education Commission.

Some of the respondents have since questioned the plaintiff’s locus standi to institute the action. However, in a statement, yesterday, Falana stated: “It has been disclosed by management of the Universal Basic Education Commission that the fund not accessed by 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory has increased to N135 billion due to the inexplicable failure to contribute the counterpart fund required by the law.”

He, therefore, called on the authorities to stop the 36 state governments and the Federal Capital Territory from toying with the right of indigent children to acquire basic education.

MEANWHILE, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has kicked off the Phase Seven of the Constituency and Executive Project Tracking Exercise.

The tracking of constituency and executive projects is an initiative of the commission that began in 2019, focusing on how well money allocated to critical sectors of education, health, agriculture, water resources and power, among others, by the government are utilised.

The seventh phase, involving 1,500 projects with a total project value of N610 billion, commenced on Monday in 22 states across the 6 geopolitical zones. The states are Kwara, Niger, Kogi, FCT, Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Borno, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Abia and Enugu.

The objective of the exercise, according to the commission, is to deepen adherence to due process in the execution of government projects, improve value for money, and entrench the culture of compliance with the scope and specification as contained in the contract documents.