Cost For Renovation of Secondary Schools is N1.5bn Not N1bn

Rabiu Omaku

Nasarawa State Commissioner of Education, Science and
Technology,Fati Jimeta Sabo has confirmed that the amount released for the
renovation of Secondary Schools destroyed by either rainstorm or windstorm in
2018 was N1,498,538,999.11bn not N1bn.

The Commissioner gave the disclosure this when she alongside
with the Permanent Secretary,Director Research, Planning and Statistics, current
and past Director Finance and Supply, Schools Services and Cashier were invited
to answer questions over the unaccounted N1.4bn.

Fati explained that the ministry was in receipt of N195m by
the State Government to pay and mobilize contractors to site,she confided that
the ministry received N50m in November
2019,N19m in February and N15m in March,2020.

The Commissioner asserted that the entire project were not
capture in the handover note between her and the immediate past education
Commissioner who happened to be the incumbent Secretary to the State
Government,Ahmed Tijjani Aliyu.

“205 projects
were captured in 69 schools ” she further maintained.

The Director Research, Planning and Statistics during a
question and answer session attested that 109 projects were completed.

The former Director Finance and Supply in his submission
buttresed that he was under duress by the accounting officer to pay contractors
huge amount of money without abiding to financial regulations.

“I was under pressure in the cause of discharging my
obligations as DFA”.

The Director Schools Services,Bekky Nasara during her
examination failed to give satisfactory information of Schools that were
completed instead listed Government Girls Science School Garaku as one of the
schools renovated from the N1.4bn.

“52 schools yet to be completed,45 yet to commence work
and 109 were completed”she explained.

Usman Abu,the present Permanent Secretary of ministry in his
submission said he was not in the ministry when the approval and release was
made.

The Chairman of the committee,Hon.Daniel Ogazi said God
would not forgive those that are thwarting with the future generation yet
unborn if we remain mute when things are wrongly.

Ogazi commended the estwhile Governor,Umaru Tanko Al-Makura
for leaving behind N5.4bn in the treasury of ministry of education,saying this
gave room for the smooth and solid school projects cut across the State.

The Cashier also confirmed that 180 contractors were paid 30
percent to 40 percent while 25 contractors are yet to collect their monie.

With what we saw in GSS Mada station,Bassa,BAD and other 88
schools is inhuman

He described public schools in Nasarawa State as
cowshed,making life unbearable to both teachers and students,adding that
Government schools are in a sorry condition.

In a related development,the committee on education directed
the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board to take action against the
twenty teachers that were absent during the visit of the committee at GSS
Kurmin Tagwaye in Wamba Local Government.

The principal said the school has a total number of 39
teachers as against the 42.

According to him,”twenty were present during your
visit, three are on study leave,four women are on maternity leave while 9
appeared before the House,he in addition said one got appointment outside the
State.

The affected teachers are

1.Abdullahi Haruna Sambo

2.Fati Ibrahim

3.Rabi Shuaibu

4.Lami Sunday

5.Yamusa Inusa

6.Josephine Francis Kuje

7.Oguche Emmanuel

8.Lilian Embugushiki

9.Doom Abel.