How Government's Mismanagement Of $75million World Bank Loan Devastated Education in Edo state
By Osehobo Ofure Victor
These are very interesting times for the outgoing Mr. Godwin Obaseki, Edo State Governor, Dr. Joan Oviawe, his outgoing Commissioner for Education and Mrs Salami Ozavize, his outgoing Executive Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board. Reason is they are very apprehensive. Who is not afraid of the unknown? More apprehensive are the duo of Oviawe and Ozavise, who have hiding under Mr Obaseki's immunity, which expires by this time next month. They had one year now reduced to one month to prepare their responses to the damning petition which has been on the table of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC October 2023, about how they allegedly mismanaged the $75million World Bank loan meant to improve the Edo state's education sector.
Once upon a time, as Chairman of the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (Edo SUBEB), Mrs. Salami Ozavise said that, "Over 380,000 children in our schools have benefited from our EdoBEST programme and the Edo State Government has trained 16,000 teachers in digital skills and classroom management. In Edo, basic education is free and compulsory for children as they are equipped with various digital skills.
"The Edo State Government has distributed 12,000 tablets; 7 million examination materials and 1.5 million textbooks across various EdoBEST schools in Edo State as parents have access to their children's results. The EdoBEST Programme has been able to rebrand all schools, even those schools in the rural and riverine areas,” according to her.
Salami further noted, “We are currently intervening in 336 schools and have 181 projects which will be giving 200 classrooms and water projects in 41 schools and will affect 72,000 children. 46 percent of the projects are in urban areas and 58 per cent in rural areas and the majority are close to completion level.
Interestingly, it was the Country Director, Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa, Mr John Mayaki, himself a former Chief Press Secretary to Governor Obaseki who picked holes in Ozavise 's submissions. He it was who called on the World Bank to visit Edo State for physical inspection of its schools. He said, "We are inviting them for an on-the-spot assessment of Edo schools, especially in the rural areas, because despite the announcement of significant funding for the revamping of education in Edo State, there has been little to no visible impact or improvement in the state’s educational system. It is our aim that it would provide a first-hand experience of the deplorable conditions of schools, particularly in rural areas. The assessment will also enable them to witness the reality on the ground and gain a deeper understanding of the urgent need for intervention and support in Edo State’s education sector".
According to Mr Mayaki, "Overall, the invitation for an on-the-spot assessment is a call for transparency, accountability and a shared commitment to improving education for children in Edo State, particularly those in underserved, rural areas who are currently bearing the brunt of the existing challenges".
He argued that, "EdoBEST has received praise from the World Bank and other global institutions but it is imperative to critically assess its impact, especially regarding infrastructure and resource allocation.
Adequate classrooms, chairs and tables are indispensable for effective education delivery, and unfortunately, these necessities are lacking in many schools across Edo State. Moreover, it is vital to address the significant disparity between urban and rural areas when implementing educational reforms. Focusing solely on urban centres while neglecting rural areas undermines the goal of providing equal opportunities for all students. To accurately evaluate the success of EdoBEST, it is essential to consider its impact across the entire state, rather than basing judgments solely on the achievements of a single school in Benin City".
***Mr Mayaki summarized his argument in these words: "In terms of physical and tangible structures, I can tell you that there is virtually nothing to justify the World Bank’s $75million loan facility granted to the Edo State government, and this claim is verifiable".***
Not too long after the Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa's invitation to the World Bank, on October 23, 2023, a viral video surfaced showing Edo students in public primary and secondary schools sitting on bare concrete floors, with no chairs or desks available. The disturbing footage triggered outrage and calls for an investigation into the state of affairs in Edo State’s education system.
This was soon followed by the Empowerment for Unemployed Youths (EUY) petition, addressed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleging that Governor Godwin Obaseki, the Commissioner for Education Joan Oviawe, and Chairperson of the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Ozavize Salami, are complicit in the mismanagement of the $75 million World Bank loan intended for the Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST) program.
According to the petitioners, the public outcry following the release of the video has revealed that ***the EdoBEST initiative, which was supposed to transform education in the state, is a facade***. Schools in the state, especially in rural areas, lack basic infrastructure such as desks, chairs, and functional classrooms. ***Many classrooms are reportedly used as makeshift shelters for criminal activities, including smoking and defecation, due to the absence of security or maintenance***. The petitioner said the $75 million World Bank loan the government obtained in 2018 to implement the EdoBEST program, was diverted or squandered.
The Empowerment for Unemployed Youths (EUY) said that despite allocating over ₦136.35 billion to the education sector over for eight years, schools in Edo state under Governor Godwin Obaseki remained in deplorable conditions.
They said that for instance, the budget for 2023 alone included ₦7.23 billion for education, yet Edo schools remained in a state of disrepair, with students forced to sit on the floor during classes and exams. This they said is in contrasts with expert estimates that suggest it would cost between ₦10 million and ₦15 million to renovate and furnish a six-classroom block. If properly managed, the ₦37.24 billion allocated for capital expenditure on education between 2018 and 2023 could have funded the renovation of over 2,400 classrooms, the group submitted.
**The petitioners alleged that the EdoBEST program was a “deliberate organized fraud" , as any of the so-called improvements touted by the government were debunked by local communities***. For example, communities hosting public schools in Edo Central and Edo North have barely have five staff members on the government payroll, with most of the improvements in schools being attributed to the efforts of Old Students’ Associations and local communities. These community-driven efforts stood in stark contrast to the government's claims of progress through EdoBEST.
The petitioners also raised concerns about the hyped hiring of 11,000 teachers by the government under EdoBEST, stating that many of these teachers either do not exist or were hired on paper. Furthermore, they pointed to the failure of a multimillion-naira contract awarded to a consultant, Mrs. Chinelo Adachi, to manage the primary school leaving examination. The project, described as a scandalous failure, left parents scrambling to provide tables and chairs for their children to write the examination, despite claims of adequate preparation by the government.
The petitioners asked the EFCC for full investigation into the alleged diversion of funds, asserting that billions of naira earmarked for EdoBEST have been funneled into private pockets or used for phantom projects that do not exist on the ground. They specifically called on the EFCC to audit the finances of the SUBEB, where Mrs Salami Ozavize, is Chairman and the Ministry of Education, where Dr. Joan Oviawe is Commissioner and specifically said the audit should begin from 2016 to date. This is to determine how the education budgets and the World Bank loan were spent.
Their arguments are that the diversion of funds has not only enriched a few but also deprived Edo children of a proper education but also set the state up for a future filled with uneducated, unemployable youths, which could have dire social and economic consequences.
Meanwhile as the EFCC begins its investigation into these serious allegations, it is hoped that as Head of the Edo State Government, Mr Godwin Obaseki will be willing to tell it all. Just like Dr. Joan Oviawe, his Commissioner for Education and Mrs Salami Ozavize, his Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board. As it were, the outcome of this investigation will definitely have far-reaching implications, not just for the actors involved but also for the future of education in the state.##
