The House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Services has denied receiving any formal petition or report alleging administrative misconduct against Dr. Aisha Garba, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

In a statement issued on Sunday, Committee Chairman, Mark Bako Useni, said the panel had not discussed, reviewed, or deliberated on any allegations of mismanagement during its recent retreat in Lagos. Useni clarified that the legislative retreat, held between 17 and 20 July 2025, focused exclusively on reviewing proposed amendments to the UBEC Act, alongside members of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

“There was no point during the retreat where issues of alleged mismanagement, administrative irregularities, or violations of the UBEC Act were raised,” the statement read.

Useni added that any contrary opinions attributed to individual legislators should not be construed as official positions of the committee.

The committee, according to Useni, had instead received briefings from the UBEC leadership on proposed amendments to the Act and commended Dr. Garba for her reform initiatives, particularly in the areas of quality assurance and collaboration with state basic education boards.

This clarification follows recent media reports suggesting that lawmakers had raised concerns about UBEC’s management under Dr. Garba, a former World Bank consultant appointed to the role earlier this year. Reports had cited claims by Philip Agbese, Deputy Spokesperson of the House, that the Executive Secretary had breached statutory provisions by introducing a new organogram without approval from UBEC’s Governing Board, and by allegedly deploying personnel from other ministries into senior roles at the agency.

Agbese had reportedly criticised what he described as “a creeping autocracy” at UBEC, citing concerns over transparency and internal governance structures.

According to him, key decisions—including staff redeployment and restructuring—had been made unilaterally, bypassing established internal processes and the oversight of UBEC’s Governing Board.

However, in Sunday’s statement, the committee distanced itself from those claims, stating unequivocally that no formal complaints or reports on such matters had been submitted to or considered by the committee.

“We reiterate that no allegations of infractions or maladministration by the Executive Secretary were tabled before our committee during the joint retreat,” Useni stated, noting that both legislative committees remained focused on strengthening the legal framework governing Nigeria’s basic education system.

Dr. Garba’s leadership at UBEC has seen several policy shifts, including efforts to improve quality assurance and state-level collaboration, although concerns about internal management and transparency persist in some quarters.

The House Committee’s public vote of confidence in the Executive Secretary signals a significant institutional endorsement at a time when the Commission’s operational reforms are under scrutiny.