According to data from the Jigawa State’s Open Contracting Portal, the School of Arabic and Islamic Studies (SAIS) Fatara in Jigawa’s Dutse LGA was to receive a hostel block and the construction of a wall fence.
The contracts were awarded to Babandoki Gen Ent Ltd for N34 million for the construction of the hostel while Despro Concept Ltd was awarded N12 million for the construction of the fence.
When Dataphyhe’s project tracking team visited the school, the hostel project had been completed and been in use for a year. There were however already faults with the construction including peeling plasters and poor roofing. A civil engineer, Engr Joseph Ayu, who was a part of the Dataphyte tracking team noted that the plastering and roofing were poorly done.
The engineer observed that cement was not mixed in the proper proportion for the plastering work and that the roof finishing was done in such a way that the roof would leak in no time.
According to Salihu Umar, the school’s principal, who spoke with Dataphyte, the school hostel is only a year old and they have had cause to call the contractor three times already for repairs since the project’s completion.
He bemoaned the state of the construction work, particularly the plastering.
The dataphyte team observed peeling plaster on walls. Very close to the modified lintel is a safety hazard of exposed cement and iron that has the potential to cause injury.
The school principal upon seeing the project’s bill of quantity expressed doubt that the building was worth the N34 million quoted in the procurement document seen on the open contracting portal.
He went on to say that he was unaware that a hostel block would be constructed in his school, adding that some individuals simply showed up to show them the location where the hostel block will be built, and there was no communication from them until the completion of the project.
The principal indicated that had he seen the bill of quantity for the project he would have provided oversight on the construction and ensured that it is completed to standard.
Unlike the hostel block, the school fence appears to have been well constructed; the Dataphyte team did not observe any visible signs of disrepair.
Engr Joseph Ayu however expressed doubt that the construction was worth the contract award of N12 million.
Adijat Kareem is a research and data analyst at Dataphyte with a background in Economics. She is passionate about data and storytelling in driving social change and innovation.
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