Fayemi Makes Case For States, Urges FG to scrap UBEC counterpart funding

Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has urged the Federal Government to suspend counterpart funding as part of basic requirements for States to access Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) funding.

Fayemi explained that the backlogs of funds domiciled in the UBEC account was as a result of the inability of states to raise counterpart fund to access it.

He stated this when the Chairman of the Committee on Basic Education, Prof Julius Ihonvbere led other members of the House of Representatives Committee on Basic education on a courtesy visit to the Governor’s Office in Ado Ekiti.

The governor said that the counterpart funds if suspended would enable states to take more accelerated actions that will substantially improve the condition of schools and the quality of learning received by students.

Fayemi equally urged the UBEC and the Ministry of Education to improve the mechanism for school monitoring and evaluation of projects in order to promote qualitative education in the country.

He said: “It is necessary to step down counterpart funding in order for States to access the money that is just sitting there and the president has agreed with us. That would enable States to take more accelerated actions on schools but it will now be more of a programme for results arrangement rather than counterpart funding arrangement.”