Bamia Primary School remains behind schedule rial, labour being blamed
aid that although some quarries sed their capacity, it is still not that while some others may have l, transportation seems to be an have increased their capacity and sufficient enough to meet the curds for aggregate and crusher run. ing here is not only being able to ne, it is the logistics. The biggest upply of crusher run is the supply; That is the issue and the issue is ” he said. Nevertheless, Blair statset to begin casting the beams and the upper floor. said that the availability of cement also fluctuated during the past ery project has that challenges. We supply fluctuating. No availability and stone. So we had to put in o six months in advance and make nts to get materials,” Blair lamentmber, St8ment Investment princiFerguson, said that they had comst 35% to 40% of works. At that plained that they were still chalthe supply of sand steel, and stone, gh demand around the country. ding of the contract to Sta8ment to construct the school has faced severe criticism as the company not only lacks the track record of large scale construction for public use but it also faced a backlash from civil society as it was only incorporated in March of 2021 (eight months prior to being awarded the contract) and its principals were heavily involved in the entertainment and sports industry. The project is being undertaken under the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development and in July of last year, the bids were opened.
Four companies – Bulkan Timber Works Inc., ($349,595,065), St8ment Investment Inc., ($346,327,748), Orin’s Supreme Enterprise ($348,726,772), and A Nazir & Son Con-tracting & General Supplies ($340,549,671) – tendered for the project. St8ment, with the second-lowest bid, received the contract in November of 2021 which was signed by the principals of the company and Regional Executive Officer, Dwight John. The project was expected to last for 20 months and is intended to benefit almost 800 students. A oneyear defects liability period, after the completion of works, is catered for.
Based on the original expected duration of the project, the school should be completed around June next year. Works were stalled for over two months with no explanation provided to the Regional Democratic Council in Region 10. Some $68 million had been paid over to the contractor. Around 10 months after the contract was awarded, this newspaper visited the site and it was evident that works had stalled. The steel on the foundation was already corroding and a large chunk of the foundation was yet to be completed. Stabroek News also observed that apart from a few wheelbarrows and a concrete mixer, there was no other equipment on site.
St8ment Investment Inc.,’s principals are Ferguson and Kerwin Bollers of Hits and Jams Entertainment, along with Aubrey ‘Shanghai’
Major and Kashif Muhammed of the Kashif and Shanghai football tournament. The latter two have been appointed by the PPP/C government to state run boards, with Major as Chairman of the Guyana Tourism Authority, while Muhammed was appointed Chairman of the National Sports Commission.