Oyo Assembly Condemns SUBEB Projects In State, To Commence Full Investigation Into Activities
By Henry Odeh
The Oyo state House of Assembly has condemned in strong terms projects executed by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
The House expressed its displeasure while deliberating on a Motion titled “NEED TO RECTIFY PERCEIVED LAPSES ON NEWLY CONSTRUCTED BLOCK OF FOUR CLASSROOMS IN METHODIST PRIMARY SCHOOL, OLORISAOKO, OFF MONIYA/ISEYIN ROAD, IBADAN AND OTHER POORLY EXECUTED UBEC/SUBEB PROJECTS IN THE STATE” listed on its Order Paper during its Tuesday 3rd November, 2020 plenary session.
Presenting the motion on the floor of the house, Honourable Taofeek Kehinde, representing Akinyele II explained that the house has noted over time and has taken cognisance of colossal sum expended on Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
He added that the projects were perceived to be defective adding that the house will intensify on its oversight function to investigate SUBEB projects across the state with a view to effecting corrections on observed defects in order to justify government investments on education infrastructure and development in the state.
Making contributions to the debate, lawmakers lamented that money has been paid to contractors and engineers on site to supervise the projects which was described as ‘rubbish’.
It was also noted that a total sum of N22 million (twenty two million naira) had been paid to the contractor yet despite the fact that the structure was yet to be put to use has already been dilapidated and urged the house to as a matter of urgency mandate the committee on education to halt the project until the house could get to the root of the matter stressing that the contractor should further be blacklisted from doing further contracts with the state government.
The lawmakers further described the standard of Oyo state SUBEB projects as what the house should as a matter of urgency put a stop to maintaining that the subject under debate was not limited to Akinyele alone but cuts across the entire state.
It was maintained that the house committee on education was handicapped and not adequately supported to carry out its oversight functions properly urging the house to ensure that the committee gets all the needed supports to carry out its oversight responsibilities.
Honourable Simeon Oyeleke representing Ogo Oluwa state constituency, in his submission observed that for the committee to travel the entire 33 local government areas in the state would be too tedious and overwhelming.
He urged the house to consider mandating each lawmaker to return to their various constituencies and carry out their investigations which should be formally reported back to the chairman of the committee on education in order to achieve more with less stress and time.
The Speaker, Rt Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin, in his remark, noted that the exercise will be a serious one therefore, the house will come up with a modality to adopt and will be communicated back to the house before embarking on the inspection exercise.
Ogundoyin added that the inspection will cover all the entire 33 local government areas and will not be limited to SUBEB projects alone but also local governments as well as primary health centres across the state.
He maintained that the house will ensure that the inspection tour will be comprehensive enough to cover all other areas so that available limited resources can be judiciously deployed to achieve better results.
He however assured that the schedule and groups as may be contained in the modalities will be worked on so that someone for instance who is from a senatorial district can be deployed to another in order to create a sense of fairness and balance adding that the modalities will be announced through the assembly press office adding that the resolutions as contained in the motion are adequate and good.
