The Office of the Clerk to the National Assembly has confirmed that the harmonised Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act (Amendment) Bill, which raises the federal government's UBEC allocation from 2% to 5% of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, was transmitted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent on 30th July, 2026.
The confirmation came in a letter dated 31st August, 2026, from Dr. Bello Olatunji Babatunde, Director (Management) in the Office of the Clerk to the National Assembly, in response to correspondence from AdvoKC Foundation, a civic accountability organisation that tracks legislative promises through its PromiseTracker.ng platform.
AdvoKC first wrote to the Clerk on 29th July, 2026, urging the National Assembly to expedite the harmonisation and transmission of the Bill, noting that the harmonised figure of 5% exceeded the 4% both the Senate and the House of Representatives had separately committed to in their legislative agendas. Records now confirm that the Bill was forwarded to the Presidency the following day, 30th July, 2026, within twenty-four hours of that letter.
Having received no formal acknowledgement of the transmission by late August, AdvoKC sent a follow-up letter on 28th August, 2026, renewing its call for the Bill's expedited passage into law. The Clerk's office responded three days later, on 31st August, confirming that the transmission had, in fact, already taken place a month earlier.
“This is a welcome development for Nigeria's basic education sector,” said Habib Sheidu, Project Director at AdvoKC Foundation. “The harmonised Bill does not just meet the 4% both chambers promised in their legislative agendas; it exceeds it. With over 18 million Nigerian children currently out of school, getting this Bill signed into law without further delay matters. We are glad the Bill has already been transmitted, and we now urge Mr. President to assent to it in good time for the increased allocation to be reflected in the 2027 budget.”
The Bill's transmission, coming within twenty-four hours of AdvoKC's first letter, is the latest instance of the Foundation's sustained, evidence-led engagement translating into concrete legislative movement. Under the Acts Authentication Act, CAP A2, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, the Clerk to the National Assembly is the officer statutorily responsible for authenticating and forwarding Bills passed by both chambers to the President for assent, a largely administrative step that, in practice, has historically been where legislation stalls for months after passage. AdvoKC's tracking of this specific commitment, first flagged on the Legislative Agenda Meter when both chambers pledged a 4% UBEC allocation, kept the Bill visible to the public through the process. The Foundation will continue to monitor the Bill through to presidential assent, and, given the timelines involved, is watching closely for its reflection in the 2027 Appropriation Bill.
