Cross River State government to facelift 200 primary schools with N7.5billion

Over 200 primary schools in Cross River State will soon get a facelift as the state government is calling for bids for the construction of classroom blocks across the state, as well as a Canadian model school to be located in Obudu Local Council.

Executive Chairman of the Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Steve Odey, said this is an effort to ensure that schools are facelifted so as to boost the standard of education in the state. Most primary school structures in all 18 council areas of the state are in a bad state.

According to Odey, the state is to spend N7.5b for the various school projects under the 2012-2015 UBEC matching grant, and as such, has invited reputable contractors with good track record of performance, and experience to tender for the jobs and commence work as soon as the bidding process is completed.

Odey stated that: “This is funds from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) plus the state government’s counterpart funding, which the governor, Prof Ben Ayade, approved N3.8 billion to enable us access the matching grant that was lying unused with UBEC.

“There was an excess fund that was left with the Central Bank of Nigeria from 2012 to 2015, which we could not access but this administration has been able to access it. Schools are being built across the state. The Special Education Fund from 2013 to 2015 has been accessed with infrastructures being erected in our special education centre across the state. We have advertised the entire job for 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, and we shall use contractors without any record of job abandonment; contractors who are competent as we will be very prudent and transparent in our operations.”

He maintained that SUBEB was transparent in all its transactions saying, “This is our account statement with Heritage Bank.