By Philip Yatai

The Kaduna State Government said on Thursday met with contractors to ensure the completion of 55 ongoing capital projects in the education sector, awarded between 2016 and 2019.

The state’s Commissioner for Education, Dr Shehu Makarfi, made this know at a meeting with some of the contractors to discuss problems affecting the execution of the projects and the way forward.

A government document shows that the projects, awarded at the cost of over N6.35 billion were mainly construction, renovation and rehabilitation of classroom.

Others were construction of drainages, solar-powered boreholes, toilets, supply and installation of solar streetlights, supply of furniture, as well as construction of perimeter fence.

The document further shows that the percentage of completion of the projects ranges from zero per cent to 80 per cent, while only four of the projects were 100 per cent completed.

It added that about N2.31 billion has so far been disbursed to the contractors.

Makarfi disclosed at the meeting that the state government has concluded plans to pay outstanding contracts liabilities.

He, however, that some of the contractors were doing very well, while others just collected mobilisation and disappeared.

According to him, the contracts will be revoked, and affected contractors will be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) for prosecution.

“We equally observed that some of the contractors are not executing the project as specified in the Bill of Quantity.

“This is unacceptable and such contractors would not be paid until the projects meet minimum standard.

“We will, therefore, recommend payment to only performing contractors and those who are willing to go back to site and complete the project according to specifications.”

He disclosed that the state government has begun development of a compendium of accredited contractors, urging the contractors to avoid being blacklisted. 

Also speaking, the Director, Education Sector Project, Malam Obale Salisu, urged the contractors to be diligent in executing the projects.

Salisu added that the Bill of Quantity would be release to all relevant stakeholders to monitor and ensure quality delivery of the projects.

Responding, Malam Ibrahim Balarabe, who spoke on behalf of the contractors, identified payment and security challenges as the major problems affecting execution of the projects.

But one of the contractors, Malam Sambo Salisu, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Salzi Nigerian Ltd. acknowledged that some of the contractors collected mobilisation and disappeared.

He noted that scarcity of funds was common with day-to-day running of government, pointing out that some contractors go to site without mobilisation.

“I mobilise to site the moment I collects my contract award because I am very confident that the government will pay me my money in full.

“For example, I renovated Government Girls Secondary School, Kabala Costain, Kaduna, with no mobilisation and my money was paid in full on completion of the project.

“The same thing with the renovation of Rimi College Phase I, and now I am on the Phase II project, also without mobilisation,” Salisu added.

He advised his colleagues that have no capital to execute projects to stay away from construction business, stressing that without capital there was little or nothing that contractor can do.