President Bola Tinubu has appointed Aisha Garba, an international development specialist as the Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education (UBEC).
Garba, a Senior Education Specialist with the World Bank, brings more than twenty-four years of experience driving impactful programmes in education for human and economic development, working in Nigeria, Ghana, Somalia, Kenya, the USA, and the United Kingdom.
A statement by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, noted that with over 15 years of hands-on experience at the World Bank, Garba has consistently led end-to-end design and management of education programmes and reforms from conceptualization to completion and impact assessment.
The statement added that apart from being actively interested in, and involved in human development issues, Garba will share her rich network with governments, development partners, and communities, as well as the skills she acquired working in fragile, conflict, and violent settings to deliver sustainable solutions in basic education.
The new UBEC boss had previously worked on the team that met the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets in Nigeria and consulted for the World Bank, Department for International Development, BOND-UK, Regent Foundation, and Muslim Aid Organisation.
She is an alumna of Petra American University in Jordan, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts combined degree in English and Computer Studies in 2000.
She later obtained a Master’s in International Development at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom in 2007.
The President expects the new UBEC Executive Secretary to drive the renewed hope and vision of providing and supporting quality education and ensuring that Nigerian children become globally competitive.