*Photo: President Bola Tinubu*
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Aisha Garba, an international development specialist, as the Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education (UBEC).
Garba, a Senior Education Specialist with the World Bank, brings more than twenty-four years of experience driving impactful programmes in education for human and economic development, working in Nigeria, Ghana, Somalia, Kenya, the USA, and the United Kingdom.
With over 15 years of hands-on experience at the World Bank, Garba has consistently led end-to-end design and management of education programmes and reforms, from conceptualisation to completion and impact assessment.
Apart from being actively interested in and involved in human development issues, the development specialist will share her rich network with governments, development partners, and communities, as well as the skills she acquired working in fragile, conflict, and violent settings to deliver sustainable solutions in basic education.
Garba had previously worked on the team that met the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets in Nigeria and consulted for the World Bank, Department for International Development, BOND-UK, Regent Foundation, and Muslim Aid Organization.
She is an alumna of Petra American University in Jordan, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts combined degree in English and Computer Studies in 2000. She later got a Master’s in International Development at the University of Birmingham in the UK in 2007.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, Information & Strategy, while announcing the appointment on Tuesday said “The President expects the new Executive Secretary of UBEC to drive the renewed hope and vision of providing and supporting quality education and ensuring that Nigerian children become globally competitive.”
Garba is an alumna of Petra American University in Jordan, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts combined degree in English and Computer Studies in 2000.
She later got a master’s in international development at the University of Birmingham in the UK in 2007.
She succeeds Dr Hamid Bobboyi who was appointed in 2016 by president Muhammadu Buhari who later reappointed him for a second four-year term in August 2021.
The office of the executive secretary formulates and coordinates the execution of policy guidelines for the operation of Nigeria’s universal basic education scheme.
It oversees the receipt of block grants from the federal government and allocates them to states or other related agencies implementing the UBE programme.
The UBEC executive secretary, through the education minister, oversees the funding and development of basic education in Nigeria.
