The Former Governor of Nasarawa State, Sen. Umaru Tanko Al-Makura has pledged to give necessary support to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in the bid to revamp basic education in Nigeria.
This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday by tge Commission’s Public Relations Officer and Protocol, Mr David Apeh.
Al-Makura, also the newly appointed Chairman, Governing Board of UBEC, made the pledge during his official assumption of duty at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
He appreciated President Bola Tinubu for appointing him as the chairman of UBEC, promising to use his wealth of experience and as a crusader for universal and qualitative education at all levels, to transform basic education in the country.
He promised to leave a lasting legacy after his tenure as chairman of UBEC.
“I cherish this four year term appointment by President Bola Tinubu, because I am a trained teacher, with grade II certificate, National Certificate of Education and Bachelor’s Degree in Education, social studies.
“As a trained teacher, I chose to teach during my mandatory National Youth Service Corps for a year before I ventured into civil service, private venture and politics respectively.
“When I was Governor of Nasarawa State, I supported State Universal Basic Education, (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 also commending Tinubu for appointing Aisha Garba as the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Al-Makura recalled that he first met her when he was a Governor and Garba was working with the World Bank and had a project in Nasarawa.
While commending the efforts of the Executive Secretary, he noted that Garba required all the necessary support to succeed in actualisation of the mandate of the Commission.
“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, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Garba thanked the President for appointing an experience education stakeholder as Chairman.
“The chairman and I have pledged to leave a lasting legacy long after we leave the Commission,” Garba stated.
