The Delta State Universal Basic Education Board has denied claims that it is sitting on N13.40bn in unspent funds, saying it has less than N400m remaining from its 2025 budget.

The Executive Chairman of the board, Samuel Mariere, stated this during a telephone interview on Thursday, insisting that the reported amount was based on outdated financial information and did not reflect the board’s current account balance.

Mariere said about 99 per cent of the contracts under the 2025 budget had been completed and paid for, adding that the outstanding payments were mainly retention fees due to contractors six months after the completion of their projects.

“For the 2025 budget, I don’t think we have up to N400m in our account, and what is left is what will cover retention,” he said.

The chairman explained that the reported N8bn balance attributed to Delta SUBEB was based on account information as of January 2026.

He said the state government had provided its counterpart funding for the 2026 basic education programme, while the Federal Government had released a little over N2bn in matching funds as of Thursday.

According to him, the matching process is still ongoing, with total funding for the 2026 programme expected to reach about N12bn when completed.

He said the board was preparing to advertise contracts for the projects the following week, subject to the completion of procurement procedures.

“We are in the procurement process. You know the procurement process is not something you just jump into because you have to go through the tender board and other procedures,” Mariere said.

He added that the board expected the contracts to be awarded by the end of November or the first week of December.

Addressing concerns about the condition of public primary schools, Mariere said the state government had executed more than 160 projects and supplied over 9,000 pieces of furniture to schools across Delta State.

He added that the board was introducing a digital attendance registry to monitor teachers’ attendance and had organised training programmes for teachers.

The chairman, however, acknowledged that some schools still faced furniture shortages, blaming part of the problem on damage and theft.

“Based on our findings, we estimate that about 30 per cent of school furniture is damaged each year,” he said, adding that the government and communities were working to protect school facilities.

Mariere urged members of the public to visit schools across the state to assess projects executed by the board, insisting that the government was investing in basic education.

“Delta State does not have N13.40bn sitting in a SUBEB account that the board is refusing to use,” he said.

He maintained that funding for the 2026 programme remained subject to the federal matching process and procurement requirements, adding that the board was committed to spending the money on approved education projects.