Assembly Committee warns contractors to deliver or risk revocation

The Nasarawa House of Assembly Committee on Education has given contractors hired to provide furniture for schools across the state a week ultimatum to deliver or risk contract revocation.

Mr Daniel Ogazi (APC- Kokona East), the House Committee Chairman on Education, issued the ultimatum when the committee visited the State Vocational and Relevant Technology Board (VRTB), in Lafia on Thursday.

According to Ogazi, contractors who are hired to produce furniture for schools, but are yet to approach the State Vocational and  Relevant Technology Board are given one week to do so or risk revocation.

The News Agency of Nigeria , learnt that the State Universal Basic Education Board had in February awarded schools furniture contracts with a duration period of four months to deliver.

Ogazi said that the committee’s visit was to assess the budget performance of the board with the view to addressing any challenges, if discovered.

The Chairman also directed the contractor handling the construction of eight classrooms in Lafia East Primary School to return to site due to poor execution of the project.

He commended the General Manager of the board, Alhaji Idris Umar, and other members of staff for being up and doing in training the youth and for all its different skills acquisition programmes to improve on their standard of living.

“I want to commend you. You are doing well in training and empowering the youth across the state.

“As we can see, hand bags, shoes, sanitisers, chalks, beads and fabricated ventilators, among others are being made here.

“This will go a long way in not only improving on the standard of living of our people, but will also generate revenue to the state government coffers,” the committee chairman said.

Earlier, the General Manager, Nasarawa State VRTB, Alhaji Idris Umar, said that the board had trained no fewer than 10,000 youth in the state in different vocations and skills since its inception in 1998.

“The government has established the board to empower the youth in different skills and to make them self reliant.”

According to him, the youth are trained in plumbing, tailoring, driving, carpentry, welding and auto mechanics, making of detergents, liquid soap, beads, shoes, bags among other items.

Umar commended the committee for giving the board the much-needed support it deserved and called for  sustenance of the support.

The general manager assured of the board’s readiness to continue to initiate good policies and programmes that would tackle poverty and reduce youth restiveness in the state.

Edited By: Oluyinka Fadare/Donald Ugwu (NAN)