Ebonyi State Government, yesterday, ordered the immediate arrest of contractors who have received funds but failed to meet contractual obligations on the state’s 22 model secondary schools project across the 13 local council areas.

The government also terminated poorly executed 2km road projects across the communities in the state and those abandoned by contractors after receiving funds.

Briefing journalists on the outcome of the meetings, the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Ikeuwa Omebeh, noted that the arrest and the termination of the contracts became necessary after the councils’ exhaustive review of progress reports on the school upgrade initiative, expressing dissatisfaction with the pace and quality of work by some contractors.

Omebeh noted that the state executive council consequently resolved that, with effect from March 4, 2026, any contractor who has received payment for the construction or upgrade of the 22 model secondary schools but has failed to attain parapet level at their respective project sites should be arrested forthwith, pending the recovery of public funds disbursed to them.

The council emphasised that the directive underscores the administration’s zero-tolerance policy for contract abandonment, financial impropriety, and substandard project execution, particularly in critical sectors such as education.

The decision aligns with broader measures adopted by the council to enforce accountability and ensure value for money in public infrastructure delivery.

In a related development, the state exco approved the termination of all uncompleted two-kilometre rural road projects where contractors were found to have either abandoned sites after receiving payments or delivered substandard work.

SIMILARLY, the Edo State Government has warned contractors handling projects across the state to comply with approved quality control standards or face mandatory reconstruction at their own expense.

According to a statement by Governor Monday Okpebholo’s Chief Press Secretary, Patrick Ebojele, yesterday, the directive was given by the Special Adviser on Projects Implementation and Monitoring, Williams-Bello Phoebe, during an on-site inspection of two major road projects in the Edo South Senatorial District.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the inspection, Ebojele made it clear that Okpebholo’s administration operates a zero-tolerance policy on substandard work, adding that only projects that met approved specifications would receive government acceptance.