By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Anambra State House of Assembly has decried the level of abandoned projects in some schools in the state.

Speaking on behalf of the Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Development Partners and Donor Agencies, the chairman, Hon Ejiofor Ebele Leonard, said that contractors have not met government expectations adding that there was nothing on ground to justify the amount of funds released to the contractors.

He reeled out abandoned projects visited during the Committee’s oversight function to include, three hostel blocks which funds had been released by the state government.

Others were, Community Secondary School, Nwobu, Government Secondary School, Utuh which he said were shabbily done.

He said other projects inspected were the fencing of Government Technical College, Nkpor being handled by GWICE Dynamic Ltd.

According to him, the project cost was N31.9 million while funds already released was N5.5 million.

The Committee Chairman regretted that the project which was awarded on February 12, 2018 with completion date of December, 2018 was only 50 percent done.

He commended the level of work done at Girls High School, Alor, Idemili North Local Government Area of the state with only 20 percent fund release.

"At Girls High School Alor, considerable work has been done on the fencing of the school compound. Cost of the project was N9.6 million while actual funds released was N1.9 million and project status was 65 percent done.

"The date of award to the contractor handling the project, Tecnous Concept was February 12, 2018 and the expected date of completion was December, 2018.

"The fencing of Government Technical Vollege Utuh handled by GWICE Dynamic Ltd was another project inspected by the committee on SGDs. The project cost from investigation was N19.9 million, amount released so far was N13.9 million.

“The project status from the Committee’s observation was sixty percent while date of award was February 12, 2018 and expected date of completion was 2018.

“Fencing of Nigeria Science and Technical School Nnewi handled by Moses God’s Own Nig Ltd was among the project sites visited. Project cost was N29.2 million while actual funds released was N21.7 million. The project status was 80 percent and date if award was February 12, 2018 with expected date of completion, December 2018.

“The fencing of Community secondary school Nnobi cost N34 million and funds released were N7.5 million and N4.6 million respectively. The project handled by El-SANZ Resources Ltd was awarded on February 12, 2018 with expected date of completion, December, 2018 was sixty percent done.

“Construction of hostel blocks at GTC Utuh and Nigerian Science and Technical College Nnewi were projects also inspected by the committee. Contractor handling the projects is Roadlight Intl’ Ltd. Project cost was N992 million. Amount released N458.9 million. Project status is 20%. Date of award was 9th October, 2018 while expected date of completion was April 2020.”

Continuing, the Committee chairman said that the situation was not different from what the committee met on ground at GTC Nkpor where construction of hostel was on-going.

He said that the Contractor handling the project TEETAG NIG LTD was awarded the project at the cost of N992 million on October 9, 2018 with expected date of completion April 2020.

According to him, actual funds released were N297.6 million and N48.6 million while project status is 40%.

Ejiofor who is the Deputy Minority Leader of the 7th Assembly expressed worry that contractors handling projects visited were nowhere to be found even when they were duly notified through letters of the oversight visit.

He said that the committee’s visit to some schools revealed that where donor agency assisted projects were sited had little or no work in progress even though contractors handling the said projects have been mobilised with funds.

Ejiofor noted that the level of work done as well as obvious abandonment of projects by contractors handling World Bank Assisted State Education Programme Investment Projects (SEPIP) in some secondary schools in the state was not a good omen.

“The committee has invited the state Commissioner for Basic Education, Professor kate Omenugha and the contractors handling the construction of hostel blocks at Government Secondary School, Utuh , Nigeria Science and Technical College , Nnewi and Government Technical college Nkpor to appear before the Committee to explain the delay despite the release of substantial amount of money for the public projects.

The development posed more dire situations for staff and students of the schools where the projects were situated.

“As a result, it became necessary that the state commissioner for Basic Education and contractors handling projects mentioned appear before the committee to explain why the projects have not been completed and handed over to the benefiting schools.”

The Committee further expressed concern that despite receiving an official letter about the oversight duty, none of the contractors showed up at the various project sites visited.

A teacher at Government Technical College, Nkpor, Mr Ifeanyichukwu Afulukwe, said the school had complained officially to the state Ministry of Basic Education that the contractor abandoned both the fencing and hostel contract despite collecting huge amount from the government.

On his part, the Principal of Government Technical College, Utuh, Mr Adolphus Okolie, regretted the level of work done in the school and called on government to come to their rescue.

Mrs Eunice Nwachukwu, a teacher at Nigeria Science and Technical College, Nnewi, stressed that the inability of the contractor to complete the hostel block had adversely affected teaching and learning in the school.

When contacted for her reaction on issues raised by the committee on SDGs, the Commissioner for Basic Education, Prof. Kate Azuka Omenugha, denied having any abandoned projects in schools across the state.

“Work is ongoing at GTC Onitsha, GTC Umuchu, GTC Umunze, GTC Umueri and other places. You can only call it abandoned projects if we leave office and we didn’t complete them,” she added.

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