The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has reiterated the urgent need to rejuvenate its Zonal and State Offices to enhance basic education delivery across Nigeria.
Speaking at a two-day meeting on Wednesday with UBEC management, zonal directors, and state coordinators, UBEC Executive Secretary Dr. Hamid Bobboyi highlighted the crucial need for a shift toward localized management.
Bobboyi noted past inefficiencies saying, “It got to a level that staff members sent from Headquarters to the States will not bother to visit the Zonal and State offices to announce their presence in the States.
“The Commission’s Departments will implement activities in the States without the knowledge and participation of the UBEC State Offices. Project and other monitoring activities, which are among the Commission’s major functions also suffered.
“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,” Bobboyi explained.
He noted that these negative developments impacted the Commission’s overall efficiency and reputation, leading to increased redundancy and absenteeism among field staff. Consequently, morale in these offices began to decline significantly.
In response, the management has decided to reorganize its structure to empower Zonal and State Offices, which were initially established to perform specific functions. Bobboyi urged attendees to embrace new strategies to revitalize these local offices, emphasizing the importance of collaboration: “Synergy is essential for our success.”
He outlined a phased approach to ensure these offices receive the necessary resources and training to fulfill their roles effectively.
