By Shaw
The Executive Chairman of Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (Ekiti SUBEB), Prof Femi Akinwumi has flagged off the opening of tenders for the UBEC/SUBEB 2022 intervention projects in the State with a pledge that the board would ensure strict compliance to the UBEC guidelines and the State Procurement Act in the award of the contracts and monitoring of the projects.
Speaking at the bid opening ceremony in Ado-Ekiti ,the SUBEB Boss who assured all companies that took part in the tendering process of a level playing field however warned that any contractor who wins the bid and fails to work in line with the job specification would be blacklisted and made to refund the money collected.
Prof. Akinwumi urged the contractors to abide by the project execution processes and give value for the money they would be paid on the proposed projects so that the vision of government to provide conducive teaching and learning environment in all public schools in the state can be realized in good time.
The Chairman who recalled that the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji earlier this year approved the payment of over N1.2 billion counterpart funds to cover the 2022 matching grants to UBEC, described the bid opening ceremony as a “follow up activity to the payment made by the State government and yet another bold step by the administration towards providing all children of school age in the state with unfettered access to free and qualitative education through the provision of conducive teaching and learning environment in public schools across the state.”
He said the bold steps taken by Governor Oyebanji in the basic education sector in the past eight months has further strengthened and consolidated the successes recorded from October 2018 to 2022 by the immediate past administration of his predecessor , Dr John Kayode Fayemi in the sector in the State, adding that payment of the N1.2 billion matching grants to UBEC laid the foundation for the bid opening ceremony and the entire UBEC/ SUBEB 2022 Intervention Projects that was about to begin.
“If you all recall ,Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji earlier this year approved the payment of over N1.2 billion counterpart funds to UBEC to cover the 2022 matching grants to the commission and it is this singular move of the Governor that laid the foundation of today’s event.
"For the avoidance of doubt, today’s occasion clearly underscores the policy of Governor Oyebanji to consolidate and build on the successes recorded from October 2018 to 2022 by the immediate past administration of his predecessor , Dr John Kayode Fayemi in the Basic Education sector in the State. I believe that everyone can now clearly see the beauty of continuity in governance”, Akinwumi posited.
He disclosed that projects that would be executed in Government owned primary and junior secondary schools across the state under the UBEC/SUBEB 2022 intervention projects include: Construction of blocks of classrooms, perimeter fences, water system toilets with deep wells, overhead tanks and generators as well as renovation of Blocks of classrooms ,drilling of modern boreholes with generators and overhead tanks with fetching stands and the procurement of furniture items for teachers, pupils and students.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary of Ekiti SUBEB, Mr Adedayo Ajobiewe assured the contractors that the bidding process would be transparent while also informing the stakeholders that all contractors will get equal bidding opportunity.
Mr Ajobiewe also noted that due process would be followed in the bidding exercise which was observed by the UBEC State Coordinator, Mr. Tokunbo Olajubu , representatives of the State Bureau of Public Procurement , the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning , Ministry of Justice and other key stakeholders and regulatory bodies in the sector including the representative of Civil Society Action Coalition For All (CSACEFA) .
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