By Uche Onyeali
Newly appointed Chairman of the Governing Board of the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Senator Umaru Al-Makura has promised to revamp the commission.
The former governor of Nasarawa State, who was recently appointed chairman of UBEC by President Bola Tinubu, also pledged to support the commission to overhaul basic education in Nigeria.
Al-Makura, in a statement yesterday, through UBEC’s Public Relations Officer, David Apeh, promised to use his experience as a crusader for qualitative education at all levels to transform basic education in the country.
“I cherish this four-year term appointment by President Tinubu because I am a trained teacher, with a grade II certificate, National Certificate of Education and a Bachelors Degree in Education and Social Studies.
“As a trained teacher, I chose to teach during my mandatory National Youth Service Corps for a year before I ventured into the civil service, private venture and politics respectively.
“When I was governor of Nasarawa State, I supported the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, and while in the Senate, I was a member of UBEC committee, so I am a stakeholder of universal and qualitative education at different levels,” he said.
While commending President Tinubu for appointing Aisha Garba as the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Al-Makura recalled that he first met her when he was governor and Garba was working with the World Bank and had a project in Nasarawa.
While commending the efforts of the executive secretary since assumption of office in January, the ex-governor of Nasarawa State, noted that Garba requires the necessary support to succeed.
“I commend her efforts, but she needs support to continue to succeed in developing basic education in particular and further education in general,” he said.
In her remarks, Hajiya Garba said “I am happy to have my mentor and an educationist as chairman, I was with the World Bank when he was governor, when I was appointed, President Tinubu directed me to go and fix UBEC, I am thankful to the president for appointing an experienced stakeholder as chairman.
“The chairman and I have pledged to leave a lasting legacy long after we leave the commission.”
