From Umar Danladi Ado, Sokoto
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are prosecuting 10 contractors of the Sokoto State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) for allegedly breaching their contractual agreements.
The Chairman of SUBEB, Alhaji Umaru Nagwari Tambuwal, disclosed this to newsmen on Tuesday in Sokoto during a briefing to mark the third anniversary of Governor Ahmad Aliyu’s administration.
Tambuwal said the prosecutions followed various petitions filed by SUBEB before the two commissions to recover public funds paid to contractors for projects they allegedly failed to execute in Sokoto State, in breach of their contractual agreements.
“We will not tolerate shoddy jobs, especially in rural schools. I am holding a lot of files that I refuse to pay. Go back to the site and make corrections.
“When I am satisfied, then I will pay. We have even taken people to ICPC and EFCC,” he said.
The SUBEB Chairman also commended Governor Ahmad Aliyu for according priority to education, stressing that the primary and basic education sector had never had it so good under the current administration.
He attributed the development to the governor’s 9-Point Smart Agenda, which he said places emphasis on revamping the education sector.
Tambuwal further announced that Sokoto State had accessed N3.7 billion in UBEC intervention funds for 2025, with matching funds of an equal amount from the state government.
He said the state was targeting N12 billion for the 2026 action plan, comprising N6 billion from UBEC and N6 billion in counterpart funding from the state government.
“In 2025, we got N3.7 billion from UBEC. The state government is to provide the same amount and we have the approval.
“For 2026, it is N6 billion, and the state will also bring N6 billion to make it N12 billion,” he stated.
The SUBEB Chairman stressed that the funds were targeted at improving the quality of basic education, which he described as key to national development.
“Basic education is about quality, not quantity. Any country that lacks basic education will have problems. No country can develop without basic education,” Tambuwal said.
He further stated that Sokoto State was up to date with its UBEC counterpart funding and that education remained one of the priorities under Governor Aliyu’s 9-Point Smart Agenda.
“As far as Sokoto State is concerned, we do not have a problem accessing our counterpart funding. We are up to date,” he said.
The Chairman said basic education in the state was free and compulsory, while the government had prioritised teachers’ welfare through the payment of the national minimum wage and regular promotions.
He listed projections for the next one year to include teacher training three times annually, school greening through tree planting, support for community poultry farming, and capacity building for School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) members in primary and junior secondary schools.
Tambuwal appealed to the people of the state to take ownership of educational infrastructure provided by the APC-led Sokoto State Government and protect the facilities against vandalism.
