Oyo State government, on Thursday, said it will not hesitate to cancel school building contracts awarded to 22 firms for failure to execute the contracts.
The contracts, which were for renovation and construction of classrooms, were given out under the 2012-2018 UBEC/SUBEB Intervention Project for the state.
Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) said the plan to revoke the contracts is in line with the directive from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Abuja.
Speaking with the twenty-two contractors in Ibadan, the Executive Chairman, Oyo State SUBEB, Dr Nureni Adeniran, explained that the contracts would be terminated following a breach of contract terms.
He noted that many of the contracts, including those awarded by the previous administration, had been dragging since 2018 in contravention of the stipulated two weeks for completion of borehole and a maximum of 24 weeks for completion of model schools.
Dr Adeniran, in a statement by the SUBEB media team, said the board would not hesitate to apply appropriate sanctions against the defaulting contractors, who have failed to meet project specifications in the execution of UBEC/SUBEB jobs in the state.
He added that the contractors might be dragged before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the November 2021 deadline, adding that they also risk being blacklisted by UBEC for further contracts of UBEC/SUBEB nationwide.
“The message here is clear. The job has taken too long. Your failure to deliver on the agreed dates is affecting the well-being of our children. We will reverse the contracts.
“We have issued several warnings. This is about the third time. We need to revoke the contracts and give them to those that will do the job. The guideline is clear and we are not going to compromise,” he said.
The SUBEB boss, who was at the meeting in the company of the management staff of the Board, queried the rationale behind the contractors’ refusal to deliver results, despite the mobilisation fee government had given them.
Adeniran noted that, as part of concerted efforts to enforce standards, as well as ensure appropriate execution of projects, the Board in 2019 did not revoke their contracts, despite the fact that they were issued by the former administration.