The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) said it facilitated the mobilisation of over N100 billion in previously unaccessed matching grants by states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), describing the development as a major milestone in efforts to revitalise basic education across Nigeria.

In another development, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) said it has disbursed N28.72 million in student loans to 522 students of Sule Lamido University, Kafin Hausa, Jigawa State, under the federal government’s Student Loan Programme.

Disclosing this in an acknowledgement letter to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, the university’s NELFUND Desk Officer and Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr Abba Auwalu, said the disbursement fully covers the statutory charges of all verified applicants from the institution, enabling them to continue their education uninterrupted.

According to the letter, the N28,721,500 represents the sixth to ninth (final) disbursements for the 2025/2026 academic session, paid in four separate tranches.

The university also expressed appreciation to NELFUND for the intervention and appealed for continued support in the next academic session.

Meanwhile, speaking yesterday in Abuja during a media luncheon with education correspondents, UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr Aisha Garba, said the funds are now being deployed to improve learning infrastructure, expand access to education and strengthen teacher quality nationwide.

Garba said the unlocking of the long-idle intervention funds has enabled state governments to embark on massive investments in school infrastructure and learning facilities, in line with UBEC’s 2025–2031 Strategic Blueprint.

According to her, the released funds have supported the construction of over 4,600 classrooms, the renovation of over 6,100 classrooms, the provision of 2,780 toilets and 678 boreholes, and the supply of over 334,000 pieces of school furniture across the country.

She added that UBEC had also facilitated the establishment of over 2,300 Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECCDE) centres, aimed at providing young learners with a stronger foundation for lifelong learning.

According to her, the commission had invested over ₦20.4 billion in teachers’ professional development, with the improvement of teacher quality central to raising learning outcomes in public schools.

Garba added that UBEC was expanding digital literacy centres nationwide, strengthening smart schools, promoting the teaching of artificial intelligence, coding and robotics, while modernising digital learning facilities to prepare Nigerian pupils for a technology-driven future.

In his remarks, the Chairman, Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN), Chuks Ukwatu, commended the UBEC boss for strengthening her engagement with the media, describing the initiative as a demonstration of the commission’s commitment to transparency, accountability and public enlightenment.

Ukwatu urged regular interaction between education correspondents and key agencies in the sector to deepen public understanding of government policies and programmes, and to promote informed discourse on issues affecting basic education.