The Federal Government has announced that 27 states and the Federal Capital Territory have accessed N78.6 billion in Universal Basic Education (UBE) matching grants by mid-2025.
In a statement on Tuesday through the official X account of the Federal Ministry of Education, the amount represented a 65 per cent surge compared to January.
The funds are intended to support projects such as building and rehabilitating classrooms, providing learning materials, training teachers, and other interventions.
According to the statement, the improved performance followed the implementation of the UBEC 2025–2030 Strategic Blueprint, which introduced a revised matching grant formula that prioritises equity, quality, accountability, and state‑specific service delivery in basic education funding.
“FG records major success as N78.6 billion in UBE Matching Grants accessed by 27 states & FCT by mid-2025, a 65% surge from January!
“This milestone follows the rollout of the UBEC 2025–2030 Strategic Blueprint, introducing a revised Matching Grant formula prioritising: Equity Quality Accountability State-specific service delivery,” the post read in part.”
The rise in accessed funds was attributed to high-level advocacy efforts jointly carried out by the Federal Ministry of Education and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
These efforts, it said, included direct engagement with state governors and data-driven feedback that prompted more states to pay their counterpart funds.
The Ministry of Education reiterated that it remained committed to transparent reforms and ensuring that every naira spent delivers tangible improvements in Nigeria’s basic education sector.
Commenting on the development, Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa described the results as evidence of “focused reforms and collaboration,” commending the states that have responded and urging others yet to act to do so quickly.
Recall that in August 2024, the Federal Government increased the statutory allocation for UBE matching grants from about N1.3 billion to over N3.3 billion per state.
Under this arrangement, any state that provides an equivalent counterpart contribution can access a total funding pool of roughly N6.6 billion.
