The Niger State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB) has convened a one-day strategic meeting with Local Government Council Chairmen and Education Secretaries across the state. The meeting, held under the aegis of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), aimed to foster a robust partnership towards repositioning and revitalizing the basic education sub-sector in line with the New Niger Agenda of Farmer Governor Mohammed Umar Bago.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Chairman of NSUBEB, Mallam Muhammad Baba Ibrahim,
emphasized that the task of improving education is a shared responsibility among all stakeholders. He highlighted that the meeting was designed to strengthen collaboration across all levels of government particularly at the grassroots level to ensure better-equipped schools and access to quality education for all children in the state.
Mallam Ibrahim noted, “Although the Local Education Authorities report functionally to SUBEB, they maintain administrative ties with the Local Government Councils. This underscores the necessity of mutual support and collaboration. SUBEB cannot achieve its goals in isolation as such,partnership with the Council Chairmen is crucial for real, sustainable change in the education sector.”
Also speaking at the event, the ALGON Chairman and Agwara Local Government Chairman, Hon. Iliyasu Zakari Jikantoro, commended the initiative, describing it as timely. He reaffirmed the commitment of local government authorities to actively support the new collaborative framework. He assured that under the renewed partnership, teacher training and retraining will be given priority to improve education delivery across the state.
Hon. Zakari further stated that all 25 Local Government Chairmen are fully on board with the initiative. Their support will also extend to key areas such as procurement of motorcycles for school monitoring and evaluation, and the revival of core co-curricular activities to aligned with the vision of the New Niger Agenda.
Delivering a goodwill message, the UBEC North Central Director, Elder Edward Abalaka, emphasized that the focus of the new leadership is anchored on partnership and teamwork. He noted that with proper collaboration, more children across the state will benefit from improved access to quality learning opportunities.