Ogun SUBEB hails Abiodun over N12bn counterpart funding payment

The Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board has commended Governor Dapo Abiodun for what it described as his sustained commitment to funding basic education in the state.

The board said the governor’s administration had facilitated the payment of counterpart funding obligations covering a cumulative period of 13 years within seven years.

In a statement signed by its Executive Chairman, Evangelist Joshua Olalekan Ifede, on Monday, the board said the latest payment of more than N12bn, covering the 2022–2026 period, represented five years of intervention funding for basic education.

According to the statement, the state had also addressed counterpart funding obligations for 2014–2017, 2018–2019 and 2020–2021 under Abiodun’s administration.

“This represents a cumulative period of 13 years of counterpart funding obligations, facilitated within just seven years of the administration of His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun,” the board said.

SUBEB described the development as an “outstanding and unprecedented achievement”, saying the consistent release of counterpart funds would enable the state to access and support critical interventions in the basic education sector.

The board said the interventions would help improve school infrastructure, create more conducive learning environments and enhance teaching and learning across the state.

“The significance of this achievement cannot be overemphasised. By consistently providing the required counterpart funds, His Excellency has unlocked and supported critical interventions aimed at improving educational infrastructure, providing conducive learning environments, enhancing teaching and learning and creating better opportunities for learners across the state,” it said.

The board further noted that the funding commitment demonstrated the governor’s view of education as a long-term investment in the state’s future rather than merely another government sector.

It added that clearing 13 years of counterpart funding obligations within seven years reflected Abiodun’s “sense of responsibility, foresight and determination” to strengthen basic education.

SUBEB also said the funding would benefit teachers, learners, parents, education administrators and other stakeholders, adding that sustainable development could only be achieved when the education of children was prioritised.

“Through these interventions, His Excellency has once again reaffirmed that the welfare, education and future of the children of Ogun State remain central to his administration’s development agenda,” the statement said.

The board described the latest payment as a landmark development in the history of education financing in the state and expressed optimism that it would strengthen Ogun’s capacity to benefit from interventions designed to improve the quality of basic education.

It said the governor’s commitment would help build an education system capable of producing the human capital required for the state’s continued growth and development.

Ifede said, “On behalf of the Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board, we extend our profound appreciation to His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON, for this historic gesture and, more importantly, for his consistent investment in the future of our children.

“The entire education family, including teachers, learners, students, parents, education administrators and stakeholders and indeed the good people of Ogun State, are grateful for this remarkable commitment.”