The Jigawa State Government has suspended several contractors involved in the state’s school feeding programme due to allegations of fraud and poor service delivery. According to the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Special Duties, Hon. Auwal D. Sankara, the suspensions were made after an inspection team discovered irregularities, including inflated student population figures, supply of substandard food items, and incomplete food deliveries to boarding schools.
During the inspection, which was conducted at several schools in the Dutse local government area, the team found significant discrepancies between official records and actual student numbers. For instance, at the Girls Model Boarding School, Kudai, the official records indicated a population of 1,008 students, but a physical head count revealed only 681 students. The commissioner noted that the food supplied to the students was also not safe for consumption, leading to the immediate suspension of the contractor, Jibrin Maifata.
At the Government Commercial Secondary School, Dutse, a consignment of rice supplied to the school was rejected due to its poor quality. The Commissioner subsequently dismissed the Chairman of the School Feeding Contractors, Alhaji Sule Zai, over the incident. Additionally, three contractors – Kamalu Sulaiman, Alhaji Abdullahi Abanderi, and Alhaji Umaru Chamo – were suspended at the School for Arabic and Islamic Studies, Dutse, for delivering incomplete food supplies to students.
The commissioner stated that these actions are in line with Governor Umar A. Namadi’s 12-Point Agenda, which emphasizes transparency and accountability in public programmes. He warned that any individual found diverting resources meant for students’ feeding and welfare would be prosecuted. The inspections are set to continue across the state to ensure value for public funds and adherence to standards in all social intervention programmes.
The move by the Jigawa State Government is a significant step towards addressing the issues plaguing the school feeding programme. The programme is a vital component of the government’s efforts to improve education and nutrition for students in the state. By taking decisive action against contractors who engage in fraudulent activities, the government is demonstrating its commitment to transparency and accountability. The inspections will help to identify areas of improvement and ensure that the programme is implemented effectively, providing benefits to the intended beneficiaries – the students.
