The House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Services has dismissed reports claiming it received a petition alleging mismanagement by the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Aisha Garba.
In a statement signed by the Committee Chairman, Hon. Mark Bako Useni, the House clarified that no such matter was brought forward or discussed during a recent joint legislative retreat held in Lagos between Thursday, July 17, and Sunday, July 20, 2025.
Useni stated that the gathering, which involved members from both the House and Senate Committees on Basic Education, was strictly focused on reviewing proposed amendments to the UBEC Act, engaging in a detailed clause-by-clause assessment.
He noted that the retreat was cooperative and forward-looking, aimed at enhancing the legal structures governing basic education across the country.
The Committee Chairman stressed that at no time during the retreat were issues of mismanagement, irregularities, or legal violations involving Dr. Garba brought up or deliberated on.
He further cautioned that any remarks or claims made by individuals outside official Committee channels should not be mistaken for the Committee’s stance.
In the statement, Useni clarified: “The House Committee on Basic Education and Services wants to make it clear that it has not received any formal complaint or report suggesting that Dr. Aisha Garba, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, violated any provisions of the Commission’s Act or engaged in acts of maladministration, contrary to recent media reports.”
He continued, “The Committee, alongside its counterpart in the Senate, participated in a joint legislative retreat in Lagos from July 17 to 20, 2025. The sole agenda of the retreat was to go through, clause by clause, the proposed changes to the UBE Act.
“It was a constructive and cooperative session, solely geared towards strengthening the legislative framework for delivering basic education in Nigeria. At no point were there conversations or allegations raised about mismanagement or administrative misconduct by the Executive Secretary.”
Useni further noted that the Committees had in fact been briefed by UBEC’s management during the retreat and had commended Dr. Garba’s reform efforts, particularly her emphasis on quality assurance and collaboration with State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) to improve the delivery of foundational education across the country.
This rebuttal came after Chronicles Reporters (formerly referenced in reports as SaharaReporters) published a story on July 19, 2025, stating that lawmakers had expressed concern over the management style of Dr. Garba during the retreat.
According to the report, Philip Agbese, the Deputy Spokesperson of the House and representative for Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadigbo Federal Constituency in Benue State, alleged that the leadership of UBEC had sidestepped key provisions of its governing Act through unilateral actions.
Agbese claimed that such actions were detrimental to internal transparency and staff morale. He cited the implementation of a new organogram without proper board approval, as mandated by Section 6(h) of the UBE Act, as one such violation.
He criticized the restructuring of UBEC’s internal reporting structure as irregular and legally unsound.
“We are noticing signs of authoritarian leadership creeping into UBEC, and that is unacceptable in any statutory institution. While Dr. Garba may have come with commendations as a World Bank expert, UBEC is a public agency—not a one-person outfit. Leadership in such a setting must adhere to due process and institutional respect,” Agbese was quoted as saying.
He added, “This is more than an internal administrative issue—it’s a matter of legality. The organogram in question was introduced without the UBEC board’s knowledge or consent, and that amounts to a serious breach. We are insisting on an immediate halt to its implementation pending a comprehensive review by both the National Assembly and the UBEC board.”
Agbese also raised concerns about appointments within the Commission, alleging that senior roles were being assigned to individuals from external Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), sidelining qualified in-house personnel.
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