The Ekiti State Government, on Sunday, April 18, 2021, announced the immediate revocation of 16 contracts on renovation and construction projects, under its 2017 and 2015 UBEC/SUBEB Intervention Project, according to the Executive Chairman, State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB.
In a statement in Ado Ekiti, issued by Tope Babalola, the director of Social Mobilisation and Communications of the board, the chairman, Prof. Femi Akinwumi, explained that the contracts were terminated following a breach of contract terms.
He noted that many of the revoked contracts had been dragging since March 2020, in contravention of the time frame of the contractual agreement which stipulated a maximum of 12 weeks for renovation works, under intervention projects in the state.
Akinwumi also ordered the contractor handling renovation of a block of 6 classrooms at AUD Pilot Nursery and Primary school, Ado-Ekiti to immediately remove the substandard roofing materials used in the school.
“The contractor was asked to replace them without delay, as specified in the terms of the agreement or also have the contract terminated,” he said.
The SUBEB boss, who gave the directive after an on-the-spot assessment of ongoing projects in the state, said the board discovered that the contractor had used 0.45mm gauge roofing sheets instead of 0.55mm as specified in the UBEC/SUBEB agreement.
Akinwumi noted that the board recently procured Vernier Slide Calipers for Technical Officers in the 16 Local Government Education Authorities of the state, as part of concerted efforts to enforce standards, as well as ensure that only appropriate roofing sheets were used in SUBEB projects in the state.
