Sustained advocacy by civic accountability group AdvoKC Foundation has helped keep the harmonised Universal Basic Education (UBE) Amendment Bill in focus, with the National Assembly now confirming that it has been transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent….
Sustained advocacy by civic accountability group AdvoKC Foundation has helped keep the harmonised Universal Basic Education (UBE) Amendment Bill in focus, with the National Assembly now confirming that it has been transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
The Office of the Clerk to the National Assembly said the Bill, which seeks to raise the Federal Government’s allocation to basic education from two per cent to five per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, was forwarded to the Presidency on July 30, 2026.
The confirmation followed correspondence from AdvoKC, which had written to the Clerk on July 29, urging the National Assembly to conclude the harmonisation and transmission of the legislation.
The confirmation was contained in a letter dated August 31 and signed by Dr Bello Olatunji Babatunde, Director (Management) in the Office of the Clerk to the National Assembly.
AdvoKC, through its PromiseTracker.ng platform, has been tracking the Bill as part of its monitoring of legislative commitments made by the two chambers.
The organisation had flagged the UBEC funding commitment after both the Senate and House of Representatives pledged to increase the allocation to four per cent in their respective legislative agendas.
The harmonised Bill eventually provided for a five per cent allocation.
Following its July 29 letter, the Bill was transmitted to the Presidency the next day, according to the Clerk’s confirmation.
When AdvoKC had not received formal confirmation by late August, it wrote again on August 28, calling for the Bill to be expedited.
The Clerk’s office responded three days later, confirming that the transmission had already taken place on July 30.
AdvoKC Project Director, Habib Sheidu, described the development as significant for Nigeria’s basic education sector but stressed that the process would not end with transmission.
“This is a welcome development for Nigeria’s basic education sector,” Sheidu said.
“The harmonised Bill does not just meet the 4% both chambers promised in their legislative agendas; it exceeds it.”
He urged President Tinubu to assent to the Bill promptly to allow the increased allocation to be captured in the 2027 budget.
“With over 18 million Nigerian children currently out of school, getting this Bill signed into law without further delay matters,” he said.
“We are glad the Bill has already been transmitted, and we now urge Mr President to assent to it in good time for the increased allocation to be reflected in the 2027 budget.”
AdvoKC said it would continue to monitor the legislation until presidential assent, while also tracking its inclusion in the 2027 Appropriation Bill.
The Foundation said its intervention was part of a broader effort to ensure that legislative promises are not only made but followed through to implementation.
The organisation said it would therefore continue tracking the Bill and reporting on its progress until the five per cent UBEC allocation becomes law.
