Bagudu to investigate non-payment of contractors
Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu said yesterday that his administration would investigatethenon-paymentof contractors.
It was gathered that the contractors who are engaged in school feeding have not been paid since 2014.
Daily Trust gathered that the contractors had threatened to suspend feeding if their payments for November, December 2014 and some months in 2015 are not paid.
The governor met with government officials, secondary school management board officials, State Universal Basic Education Board, principals, feeding contractors, officials of the state Ministry of Finance which include permanent secretary, Accountant General and other stakeholders at Government House, Birnin Kebbi.
The governor, after going through all documents related to the feeding of the students from 2014 to date, said “We shall investigate the sources of the leakages and bring to book whoever is found wanting”.
He lauded the efforts of the feeding contractors for their patience and their service and urged them to continue to serve the state, assuring that he will process funds to pay the debts.
The state Accountant General, Alhaji Ibrahim Umar and the cashier handling the schedule of feeding payment at the meeting, acknowledged the payment of feeding money into the treasury, but could not account for its whereabouts.
Earlier, the state acting Head of Service, Alhaji Abubakar Udu, said the purpose of the meeting between government officials and contractors was to find ways to avert the strike by the contractors and to identify sources of diversion of funds already released by government.