By Huldah Shado
The Jigawa State Government has dismissed and suspended several school feeding contractors over alleged fraud, supply of substandard food and inflation of student population figures in some boarding schools.
The action followed complaints from parents and spot checks by officials of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Special Duties in selected schools in Dutse Local Government Area.
Speaking in Dutse on Thursday, the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Special Duties, Auwalu Sankara, said the exercise was aimed at sanitising the school feeding programme and protecting students’ welfare.
Sankara disclosed that at the Girls Model Boarding School, Kudai, inspectors found a discrepancy of over 30 per cent between reported and actual student numbers, with 681 students present instead of the claimed 1,008.
He added that the contractor was suspended after the quality of food served was found to be unfit.
At the Government Commercial Secondary School, Dutse, a contract was terminated after low-grade rice was supplied, while three other contractors were suspended for supplying incomplete food items to the School for Arabic and Islamic Studies, Dutse.
However, the contractor at the School for the Visually Impaired, Limawa, was retained after inspections confirmed satisfactory performance.
The commissioner warned that the government would not tolerate any compromise on student welfare, stressing that offenders would be dealt with according to the law.
