The Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB, has opened bid for the award of N5. 4 billion contracts for the construction of new school blocks.
Speaking during the opening on Tuesday in Lafia, the state chairman of SUBEB, Mohammed Dan-Azumi said the process was in line with the relevant laws to ensure due process in the award of contracts.
Dan-Azumi, represented by Mr Freeman Kasa, a member of the board promised to provide a level playing field for everyone participating in the process as well as ensure that due process was strictly followed.
He also said that the state government had paid its counterpart fund of N2.7 billion for the period of four years from the last quarter of 2016 to 2018 to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
“We will use the N5.4 billion the state accessed from UBEC to implement projects in order to actualize the objectives of basic education in the state,” he said.
According to Dan-Azumi, it will no longer be business as usual for contractors who are in the habit of collecting money and not doing the job as the board will deal with anyone found culpable.
Also speaking, Ahmed Boboyi, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, represented by Esther Tella said the commission would ensure that the projects were executed in line with the approval given.
Boboyi urged successful contractors to ensure standard jobs were completed within the stipulated time frame.
In his remarks, Muluku Aga, member House of Assembly Committee on Education, Science and Technology commended the board for a transparent bidding process.
He said that the committee through its oversight functions would ensure that the contractors adhere to the standard.
Earlier, Mrs Fati Sabo, the Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology while declaring open the bidding, warned contractors against compromising standard.
The commissioner explained that improving basic infrastructure in schools was one of the priorities of the government, stressing that the ministry would therefore not sit idle and allow the government‘s efforts to be sabotaged.
