By Muhammad Nasir Bello
Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state has warned the contractors working in the state against delivering substandard jobs.
Tambuwal gave the warning in Sokoto on Sunday at the inauguration of the 2018 Matching Grant Project and Distribution of Intend Letters to successful contractors.
The governor said that the delivery of substandard jobs by any contractor in the state would not be accepted.
“The state government will not and will never accept any job by any contractor that is not up to standard.
“As such, any substandard job by a contractor will be revoked and that person/company will never be considered by the government in future projects.
“I hereby direct the Universal Basic Education Board through its planning department to ensure strict compliance with contract specification,” he said.
He added that the inauguration marked another milestone in his administration’s desire to ensure transparency and accountability in the education sector.
“The flagging off of the 2018 matching grant projects and distribution of intent letters to more than 200 contractors is another success in that direction.
“Conscious of the large population in basic education, the state government has dedicated 26 per cent of the budget to education, which will metamorphose into the construction of more classrooms, provision of more furniture, the procurement of large consignment of teaching and learning materials as well as employment of more qualified teachers and capacity development programmes for the teachers,” he added.
Tambuwal further said that the commitment of the state government toward conducive learning environment is highly appreciable.
“I am pleased to state that from the inception of our administration the sum of over N11.6 billion was expended in the construction of blocks of classrooms, offices, and stores.
“This does not reflect the counterpart funding and intervention cost by UBEC and the Ministry for Local Government of over N7.2 billion and N6 billion respectively.
“Moreover, a total of more than 380 blocks of classrooms and offices were constructed under the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), from 2015 to date,” he said.
He called on parents and traditional leaders in the state to ensure that all children of school age were sent to school.
Earlier, the Chairman of SUBEB, Alhaji Shu’aibu Gwanda-Gobir had expressed appreciation to the governor for the prompt payment of all counterpart funds.
He said that the move had provided the necessary support for the smooth implementation of quality basic education in the state. (NAN)