This paper looked at the role of education in the development of a nation, noting among others that education enables people to be good citizens. It therefore saw the need for a qualitative education in Nigeria as such education is what empowers its recipients to be useful members of the society and prepares them for success in life. The paper traced educational development in Nigeria from Independence to the launching of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) in September 1999. The UBE was launched in Nigeria to address the problems that brought about the failures of the previous educational policies and programmes that existed before it. The aim was to address the agitations and yearnings of the Nigerian people for an educational system that would be more relevant to the socioeconomic, political and cultural background of the country. However, the UBE itself is also being bedeviled by a lot of problems. The paper examines these problems and considers the benefits of proper implementation of the UBE programme. Suggestions were made for a way forward
