UBEC To Revive State Offices For Improved Service Delivery

The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, has announced that the agency has revised its operational guidelines to improve service delivery at the state and local government levels.

He stated this at the opening ceremony of a 2-day meeting on strengthening Zonal and State offices for improved efficiency in Abuja.

Dr Boboyi explained that the need to review the operational structure became necessary due to lapses which had hindered productivity.

”It got to a level that staff members sent from Headquarters to the States will not bother to visit the Zonal office.

“The staff members in the Headquarters were known to engage their colleagues in the field offices to monitor projects and activities for which they were fully paid to perform.

“This led to the submission of inaccurate reports which resulted in payments being made for shoddy jobs and uncompleted projects,” Dr Bobby said.

He added that the effects of these negative developments not only rubbed off on the degree of the efficiency and image of the Commission as a whole but also promoted redundancy amongst the staff members in the field offices.

“It was these developments that triggered the decision of the management to review its implementation structure, arriving at the critical decision that some reorganisation is necessary and urgent.

“One of the key areas that should receive immediate attention is the strengthening of the Zonal and State Offices, empowering them to perform the functions assigned to them,” he said.

He called on Zonal Directors and State Coordinators to ensure the strict implementation of the new strategies for optimal performance.

Dr Boboyi emphasized that the States had a critical role to play in the implementation of the universal basic education, UBE programmes.

”You are all aware that the States and Local Governments are constitutionally responsible for UBE delivery in Nigeria,” he said.

He stated that the Federal Government is providing intervention through the UBEC to support the States and Local Governments in Nigeria in achieving consistent and high-quality basic education nationwide.

The Executive Secretary of UBEC assured that the needed resources for the restructuring would be made available.

Dr Boboyi urged the state actors to fully engage in the deliberations at the meeting and make their inputs for a successful implementation.

Lantana Nasir