Kayode ShopekanCHAIRMAN, Kwara State Universal Basic Education (UBEC), Professor Shehu Raheem Adaramaja has charged contractors to ensure they meet up with standard quality in line with the project specifications or risk revocation of their contracts and a possible blacklist.
Adaramaja made this statement during an inspection exercise of the ongoing rehabilitation works across 600 schools in the State under UBEC/SUBEB intervention projects for 2014-2019.
He said the Board would not hesitate to apply appropriate punitive measures against any contractor who fails to comply with the specifications of the projects.
“To the contractors, the message is clear: get it done the way it should be done and get paid, failure to do that, we will reverse the contract. After the first and second warning, the third warning is to revoke the contract. The guideline is clear and we are not going to compromise,” he warned.
He said, “We don’t want anybody writing to us requesting for payment when we have not seen the project; we want to see it ourselves, we want to see the level of work done before payment is made so as to avoid abandoned projects.
“We will pay you base on the actual job done because we don’t want people to run away with public money. That is the message from the Governor and we are happy for that, we appreciate him for tailoring the path of honor.”
Speaking at Gorobani Village, Kaiama Local Government Area of the State, on his assessment of the projects inspected, Adaramaja noted that some contractors performed excellently well, while others performed below expectations.
He said, “So far so good, some of the contractors did well and what they have done is okay for us, but some are below the standard. For those that are below the standard, we have told them what we want. We rejected some projects outrightly and we have instructed the contractors to start again.
The SUBEB chief explained that the layers of supervision put in place in the ongoing projects, especially with the involvement of communities, were to ensure that the projects are executed according to specifications.
“This time around, there are layers of supervision we have put it in place. It is not just the UBEC and SUBEB team that are supervising the projects, we now involve the LGAs, the school-based management committee, and the communities. The UBEC action plan on this ongoing project is very clear. There are layers of monitoring mechanism mentioned in the action plan and that is what we are following.
“We involve school-based management committee and we made them realize that this infrastructure we are putting in place is for them and they must take responsibility and ensure that defective or substandard facilities are not provided. We have given them instruction in all the villages we visited that they must take responsibility.
“Honestly, if we are able to finish up the way we have started, it will be better for all in Kwara. Unlike in the previous years when contractors would just move to the site without any supervision, now the communities, LGAs, school-based management committee as well as UBEC and SUBEB team are all fully on the ground for monitoring and supervision of projects.
“Any contractor that is not willing to follow the standard will not enjoy this administration because the message of the Governor is that everyone must deliver quality works, deliver quality infrastructure, including in our schools. If there is any particular constructor who is not willing to follow standards, it is as good as that contractor is not even there at all. We will make sure that contractors do the needful.
He added that the board wants a to deliver quality projects that will stand the test of time in all the schools.
Adaramaja appreciated the Governor, His Excellency, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, for giving the Board free hands to operate which he attributed to the successes recorded in the ongoing monitoring exercise.
Some of the projects inspected in Kaiama Local Government included renovation of four classrooms at Tunga Aboki LGEA Primary School; remodeling of five classrooms at LGEA Central Primary School, Kaiama; renovation of four classrooms, construction of a block of two classrooms, and construction of four compartments of VIP toilet at Kamaji LGEA Primary School; and remodeling of four classrooms with two offices at LGEA Primary School Bezira.
Others were the renovation of four classrooms at Kugiji LGEA Primary School; renovation of two classrooms at KLGEA Primary School Shiri Gweria; construction of a block of three classrooms KLGEA Kanikoko Primary School; construction of a block of three classrooms and four-compartment of VIP toilet at Darulsalam Nomadic LGEA School; among others.
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