The Nasarawa State House of Assembly, has inaugurated an Ad hoc committee to investigate secondary schools renovation contract awarded in 2018.
This comes two years after the State Ministry of Education spent N1billion to renovate secondary schools across the state.
Speaker of the House of Assembly, Ibrahim Balarable set up the committee on Tuesday when the Secretary to the State Government, Ahmed Tijjani and the Commissioner for Education, Hajiya Fati Sabo appeared before the House.
Balarabe explained that their invitation was to explain their roles in the utilisation of the fund approved and released for the project which according to him has been abandoned.
The Speaker noted that the invitation of the SSG and the Commissioner was not to witch hunt them but to ensure that the right thing is done for the purpose of accountability and good governance.
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“After listening to the SSG, who was a former Commissioner for Education when the contract was awarded in 2018 without completion up till this moment.
“It is in view of this that we are setting up an Ad hoc committee to investigate the projects in the interest of our children and overall development of the state.
“The committee include the Chairman and members of the House Committee on Education, Chairmen of House Committees on Finance, Public Account and Works respectively.
“I urge the committee to do a thorough job as it is sad and unfortunate that our children in some secondary schools are learning under the trees, the Speaker said.
In his reaction, the SSG admitted that the sum was released in November 2018 by the government to the Ministry of Education for the renovation of schools.
“Yes, the renovation work is ongoing as the contract was given in 2018 when I was a commissioner for Education,” he said.
Speaking also, the Commissioner for Education revealed that N84million was given to the ministry when she assumed office in 2019 to pay contractors for the same projects.
