President Bola Tinubu has removed Idris Olorunnimbe as chairman of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and appointed former Nasarawa State governor, Tanko Umaru Al-Makura, as his replacement.
The change in leadership was confirmed during the official inauguration of the new UBEC board, held on Tuesday in Abuja.
The event was overseen by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa.
Olorunnimbe had been appointed to the position in March 2025 but was quietly replaced within a few months.
No official explanation was given for his removal.
Tanko Al-Makura, who now takes over the role, served as governor of Nasarawa State from 2011 to 2019 and later represented Nasarawa South in the Senate from 2019 to 2023.
Beyond politics, he has a background in agriculture, machinery, hospitality, and real estate.
As chairman of the UBEC board, Al-Makura is expected to lead efforts in shaping policies and working closely with stakeholders to improve access to basic education across the country.
PBAT has started the same mistakes Buhari made by putting square pegs in round holes. What’s the criteria for appointing AL Makura to such a sensitive position. Looking at his background, what knowledge does he have in basic education management. The next thing Nigerians will hear when he fail like the former Education Minister under Buhari, will be that he has no knowledge of the ministry or board he was assigned to oversee. We have hundreds of highly qualified professionals in this field who know what it requires to transform Education of Nigerian youths to the next level. PBAT shouldn’t toy with the Education of Nigerian youths because they are future leaders and the earlier you catch them young, the better for the country