In a joint effort to enhance financial efficiency in the education sector, the Federal Ministry of Education and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation have pledged urgent reforms to improve transparency and service delivery in schools.
The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, hosted the Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr. Shamsudeen Babatunde, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, where they addressed funding challenges facing Unity Schools—particularly delays in overhead and feeding budget releases.
Dr. Alausa proposed term-based disbursements and decentralization of lower-value approvals to ease bottlenecks. “Principals are under pressure from unpaid contractors, and school resumption has sometimes been delayed due to food supply issues,” he said.
Dr. Babatunde endorsed the reforms and committed to immediate action. “I will ask the DFA to submit a formal request for timely disbursements,” he affirmed. He also emphasized prioritizing overhead payments and revealed that the Ministry of Finance is reviewing the current cash management policy to better suit today’s economic realities.
The Accountant-General pledged support for improved digital infrastructure and decentralizing small transactions to strengthen oversight and boost efficiency.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to aligning financial processes with educational goals, in support of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Signed
Boriowo Folasade
Director, Press and Public Relations
