Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (EKSUBEB) has said the bold steps taken by Governor Oyebanji in the basic education sector in the last eight months has further strengthened and consolidated the successes recorded from October 2018 to 2022 .
The Executive Chairman of the board, Prof Femi Akinwumi in Ado Ekiti who stated this while flagging off the opening of tenders and bidding for the UBEC/SUBEB 2022 intervention projects in the state, noted that payment of the N1.2 billion matching grants to UBEC laid the foundation for the bid opening ceremony and the entire UBEC/ SUBEB 2022 Intervention Projects that was about to begin.
The SUBEB boss who assured all companies that took part in this tendering process of a level playing field however warned that any contractor who wins the bid and fails to work in line with the job specification would be blacklisted and made to refund the funds collected.
He however, pledged that the board would ensure strict compliance to the UBEC guidelines and the state Procurement Act in the award of the contracts and monitoring of the projects.
Akinwumi urged the contractors to abide by the project execution processes and give value for the money they would be paid on the proposed projects so that the vision of the government to provide a conducive teaching and learning environment in all public schools in the state can be realized in good time.
He added that, “The bid opening ceremony is a follow up activity to the payment made by the Ekiti State helmsman and yet another bold step by the administration towards providing all children of school age in the state with unfettered access to free qualitative education through the provision of conducive teaching and learning environment in public schools in all the nooks and crannies of the state.
“ If you all recall ,Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji earlier this year approved the payment of over N1.2 billion counterpart funds to UBEC to cover the 2022 matching grants to the commission and it is this singular move of the Governor that laid the foundation of today’s event.
‘’ For the avoidance of doubt, today’s occasion clearly underscores the policy of Governor Oyebanji to consolidate and build on the successes recorded from October 2018 to 2022 by the immediate past administration of his predecessor , Dr John Kayode Fayemi in the Basic Education sector in the State. I believe that everyone can now clearly see the beauty of continuity in governance”.