THE management of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has unveiled its newly reviewed Accounting Manual and a new sanction regime for full implementation at the level of both the commission and States Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs).
Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Hamid Bobboyi, who made this known in Abuja, said this would strengthen the accounting system to ensure judicious utilisation of government investment in the basic education sub-sector.
He spoke during a six-day training for accountants and auditors of the UBEC as well as those of the State Universal Basic Education Boards, warning the officers against infractions.
He said the purpose of the training was to familiarise participants with the newly-reviewed accounting manual and provide a comprehensive understanding of financial infractions and sanctions, noting such knowledge is crucial to ensuring successful service delivery in basic education.
He said: “Given the mandates of UBEC and SUBEBs in implementing the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme, it is imperative that we strengthen our accounting system to ensure judicious utilisation of government investment in the sector.
“As such, it becomes our responsibility to be accountable to the Nigerian public regarding the management of the Federal Government UBE Intervention Fund and its overall impact.
“To fulfill these responsibilities effectively, it is necessary to continuously enhance our institutional capacity by improving professional competence among all UBEC and SUBEB staff members,” he stated.
The UBEC boss lamented that while training has been provided for the finance staff in accordance with the set objectives, it was disheartening to observe that these training have not yielded significant improvements in workplaces.
He revealed that the regular quarterly financial monitoring activities conducted by UBEC expose “poor record-keeping practices as well as infractions that violate established rules, regulations, and guidelines.”
He added that observations made from these monitoring exercises were forwarded to SUBEBs along with recommendations for necessary actions.
He stressed on the need to strictly adhere to the existing rules, regulations, and guidelines intended to guide the financial transactions for accountability, transparency, and value-for-money purposes.
“As finance officers, it is your responsibility to ensure strict compliance with these government stipulations. I must stress that adhering to ethical standards is an essential part of your professional duty.
“You will not be excused if you engage or condone any wrong doings. And let us not forget that reports generated from UBEC’s Financial Monitoring assessments are not merely intended for internal use only; they can be requested by relevant agencies tasked with enforcing compliance with existing laws and regulations,” he said.
He urged the participants to take full advantage of the training programme so that on return to their respective offices, they would be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to bring about positive changes in accounting practices at both the Commission and Boards.
Earlier, the director of Finance and Accounts, UBEC, Adamu Misau, said in order to safeguard the FGN-UBE Intervention Fund, the UBEC management had developed a new sanction regime in 2022 which was approved for implementation by the Commission Governing Board.
He explained that the UBEC management had to delay the implementation until all the financial managers of the Basic Education Fund were trained; hence the training programme organised by his department for the financial officers.
“We hope that by the end of this training, we will be better equipped to judiciously handle the FGN-UBE Intervention Funds with due regards to financial regulations, guidelines and due process in the accessing, utilizing, accounting and reporting of the funds,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Hamid Bobboyi, has restated the commitment of the Federal Government to transform basic education in the country.
He stated this while delivering his address during a two-day workshop on Research Proposals Screening and Execution Modalities organized by the Digital Resource Centre.
He noted the critical role of research in the development of education, saying the results of the groundbreaking research to be coordinated by the Digital Resource Centre of the Commission would substantially guide the transformation process.
Bobboyi explained that the Commission was making conscious efforts to focus on research in recognition of its pivotal role and potential to revolutionize the basic education subsector in Nigeria.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the workshop, the National Coordinator of the Digital Resource Center, UBEC, Prof. Bashir Galadanci, emphasized the transformative power of research for national development particularly in the context of the use of digital and smart technologies to promote quality basic education in the country.
He underscored the commitment of the Centre to enhance training, content development and research, expressing optimism that the workshop would come out with strategies and desired next steps for the implementation of the research framework of the Centre.
In her remarks, the Head of Research and Development of the UBEC Digital Resource Center, Dr Phebe Veronica Jatau explained that the workshop was aimed at reviewing recommended research topics and eliciting germane feedback from the screening committee that would help the centre in conducting a world-class research on the use of digital technologies to promote basic education delivery.
