The Education and Tech Coalition of Activists and Social Entrepreneurs has praised President Bola Tinubu for appointing Dr. Aisha Garba as the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), hailing the move as a turning point for primary education reform in Nigeria.
In a joint statement signed by its co-chairs, Olaonipekun Kazeem of the Focus Teens Foundation and Olamide Apejoye of Developing Engineering Leaders, the coalition highlighted the positive transformations taking place in the basic education sector under Dr. Garba’s leadership. They noted that her recruitment from the World Bank was a bold and strategic move by President Tinubu, underscoring his administration’s commitment to educational transformation.
“UBEC under the leadership of Aisha Garba has implemented reforms that have directly impacted basic education across the country. Out-of-school children are getting back in classrooms, while some are accessing school for the first time,” the statement said. “Her leadership has also improved the quality of education through the upgrade of learning tools and teaching to increase positive outcomes.”
The coalition commended the Tinubu administration for demonstrating political will and foresight in appointing a globally experienced expert to lead such a critical agency.
Social commentator and founder of Alpha Reach, JJ Omojuwa, also took to X to commend Dr. Garba’s achievements, particularly her success in reforming the UBEC matching grant system. For over two decades, states across the country were unable to access critical funding due to bureaucratic hurdles tied to a single document. Dr. Garba, Omojuwa said, dismantled that roadblock, unlocking funds and accelerating access to education.
“She reformed the system by removing long-standing bureaucratic cogs and helped to open access to the states, who are now able to do a lot more than ever as they plug into the UBEC matching grants,” he wrote. “This has led to over 60% fund utilisation – a record – impacted about 3 million children, led to the distribution of 6 million books to primary schools, half a million library materials, and other key interventions.”
Omojuwa also highlighted Dr. Garba’s vast experience managing a $3 billion education project portfolio at the World Bank, with responsibilities spanning several countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia, and Ghana.
Despite only being a few months into her tenure, many Nigerians are already expressing admiration for her leadership. On social media, users have applauded her no-nonsense, results-driven approach.
“Didn’t come in to play politics, she came in to work,” posted Mazi NnaEmeka. “She’s already breaking 20-year barriers that kept millions of children from accessing education.”
Another user, HighChiefOkoro, wrote, “This is what purposeful leadership looks like. No noise, just results. @AishaMGarba is proving that with the right competence and vision, even the most rigid systems can be reformed for impact.”
These comments reflect a growing sentiment of optimism surrounding UBEC’s current direction, with many hopeful that continued reforms will close the education gap and improve the learning environment for millions of Nigerian children