The Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, on Tuesday approved the payment of a sum of N3.5 billion (N3,554,642,584.46) as counterpart funds for execution of 2024 Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) intervention projects.
This is coming on the heels of last Tuesday’s bid opening ceremony signaling the commencement of the 2023 UBEC /SUBEB projects.
The Executive Chairman of the Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in the state, Femi Akinwumi, a professor, in a statement made available to journalists in Ado-Ekiti, disclosed that the approval was a bold step towards providing conducive teaching and learning environment for public primary and junior secondary schools across the state.
He said Mr Oyebanji has within the past two years paid the UBEC/SUBEB counterpart funds for 2022 and 2023 matching grants which had guaranteed back to back government intervention in the basic education sector in the state.
Other achievements
Mr Akinwumi said apart from prompt payment of matching grants, Mr Oyebanji-led administration had recorded “unprecedented development in sector including procurement and distribution of instructional materials to enhance teaching and learning, employment of several teaching and non-teaching staff, construction and renovation of classrooms, training and retraining of teachers and provision of ICT equipment for the schools.”
He reechoed the determination of the board to ensure speedy and successful implementation of the 2023 projects so that those of 2024 can follow almost immediately, stressing that the governor having fulfilled his part would be anxious about the early completion of the projects according to specifications.
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Mr Akinwumi, while thanking the governor for his interest in the development of basic education in the state, urged the successful bidders in the ongoing 2023 UBEC/ SUBEB projects to comply strictly to the UBEC guidelines, the federal and state procurement acts, for timely and efficient delivery of their contracts.
He also charged the teachers and other education stakeholders to be more proactive in the dissemination of their duties to ensure that the huge investment of the state government on education is not a waste of the state’s scarce financial resources.
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