Musa Allah, Sokoto
The Sokoto State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has initiated legal action against 10 contractors accused of collecting mobilisation fees and other payments for public education projects but allegedly failing to execute the jobs in accordance with their contractual agreements.
The contractors are currently being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), following petitions lodged by SUBEB over the alleged breach of contract and failure to account for public funds released to them.
Executive Chairman of SUBEB, Umaru Nagwari Tambuwal, disclosed this on Tuesday in Sokoto while briefing journalists as part of activities marking the third anniversary of Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto’s administration.
Tambuwal said the Board would no longer tolerate contractors who collect government funds and subsequently abandon projects or deliver substandard work, warning that every contractor entrusted with public resources must be prepared to account for the funds received.
He said the petitions to the anti-graft agencies were aimed at recovering the government’s money and ensuring that contractors who violated the terms of their agreements faced appropriate legal consequences.
“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 site and make corrections.
“When I am satisfied, then I pay. We have even taken people to ICPC and EFCC,” Tambuwal said.
The SUBEB chairman warned that contractors who failed to execute projects after receiving mobilisation and other payments would be required to produce and refund whatever they collected from the Board, stressing that public funds could not be treated as private property.
He added that errant contractors would also be blacklisted and denied consideration for future contracts by the Board, saying the measure was necessary to strengthen accountability and protect government investments in basic education.
Tambuwal urged the anti-corruption agencies to pursue the cases to their logical conclusion, recover funds belonging to the Sokoto State Government and prosecute offenders where evidence establishes breach of trust and contractual obligations.
He, however, commended Governor Ahmad Aliyu for what he described as increased attention to the education sector, saying basic education had received renewed priority under the administration’s nine-point Smart Agenda.
“This is not surprising as Gov. Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto’s 9-Point Smart Agenda focuses greater attention on revamping the education sector after it was almost left moribund by the immediate past administration,” he said.
On funding, Tambuwal disclosed that Sokoto State had accessed N3.7 billion in Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) intervention funds for the 2025 programme, with an equivalent counterpart contribution expected 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 Sokoto State Government.
“In 2025, N3.7 billion was gotten from UBEC. The state government is supposed to give the same amount and we have the approval.
“Then 2026 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 being channelled towards improving the quality of basic education infrastructure and services, describing basic education as a critical foundation for sustainable national development.
“Basic education is always about quality and not quantity. Any country that lacks basic education will have problems. No country will develop without basic education,” Tambuwal said.
He further disclosed that Sokoto had remained up to date in meeting its UBEC counterpart-funding obligations, thereby enabling the state to access available intervention funds.
“As far as Sokoto State is concerned, we don’t have a problem accessing our counterpart funding. We are up to date,” he said.
Tambuwal said basic education remained free and compulsory in the state, while the government had continued to prioritise teachers’ welfare through payment of the national minimum wage and regular promotions.
Looking ahead, he listed the Board’s priorities for the coming year to include three rounds of teacher training annually, school greening through tree planting, support for community poultry farming and capacity building for School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) in primary and junior secondary schools.
The SUBEB chairman appealed to residents to take ownership of educational infrastructure provided by the government, particularly in rural communities, and protect the facilities against vandalism.
He stressed that government investments in classrooms and other school infrastructure could only produce lasting benefits if communities protected the facilities and contractors delivered projects according to approved specifications and contractual terms.
