NAN-H-63
SUBEB
By Dianabasi Effiong
Calabar, Sept. 15, 2016 (NAN) The Cross River State Basic Education Board (SUBEB) says it will spend N7.5 billion for projects under the 2012-2015 Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Matching Grant.
The Executive Chairman of the Board, Dr Stephen Odey, made this known in Calabar at a news conference on activities of SUBEB.
He said SUBEB had invited reputable contractors with good record of performance and experience to tender for the jobs.
According to him, more than 200 projects, including the construction of new school blocks will begin as soon as procurement process is completed.
He said “the Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, has approved N3.8 billion to enable us to access the Matching Grant which was lying unused with UBEC.
“There was an excess fund that was left with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from 2012 to 2015, which we could not access but this administration has been able to access it.
“Schools are being built across the state. The Special Education Fund from 2013 to 2015 has been accessed with infrastructure erected in our special education centres across the state.
“We have advertised the entire job for 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. We shall use contractors without any record of job abandonment and those who are competent. We will be very prudent and transparent in our operations.’’
He said that SUBEB also had reasonable amount in its account domiciled in a commercial bank.
“In our statement of account with Heritage Bank, we have no less than N7.5 billion. Nobody will access that money because it is tied to projects,’’ he said.
Odey said that SUBEB’s action plan for 2013, 2014, and 2015 currently under review had been signed by the Executive Secretary of UBEC himself and Director, Legal Services of UBEC.
The Chairman explained that the action plan was fully defended and attested to by the UBEC Technical Team.
According to Odey, nobody will misappropriate the projects’ fund which are jointly monitored by UBEC and SUBEB.
“I have also written to EFCC, ICPC and the Attorney General, inviting them to monitor these processes.
He said that Gov. Ayade of Cross River had recently approved the employment of 1,000 teachers across the state to replace retired and late teachers.
He added that “from October last year to now, we have recorded 520 dead and retired teachers.’’
He noted that the present administration was packaging programmes for both SUBEB staff and teachers to drive basic education.
The executive chairman said modalities for check and balances had been put in place for the running of the board.
He said the board had bought plastic chairs and desks to replace aging wooden desks in schools across the state. (NAN)
DOE/HA
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(Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu)