From 2016 – 2023, the Cross River State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) completed 616 infrastructural projects. Sen. Stephen Odey, Chairman of the agency, disclosed this when giving stewardship of Sen. Ben Ayade’s administration at a media parley on Tuesday 23 May 2023. The agency, he said, also distributed 1,611,818 tables and chairs with the hope that it would improve the quality of education that pupils and students get and improve the working conditions of staff. However, this investigation by Archibong Jeremiah shows that the state is far from achieving its goals, as contracts worth billions were awarded amidst procurement violations. Some projects have been abandoned, others were poorly executed, and some pose a threat to the safety and well-being of teachers and pupils.
The investigation made six key findings, they are:
- Faulty Structures
- Project Abandonment
- Open Defecation
- Completed, But Not Handed Over
- Politicians Hijacking Projects
- Disability Rights Law Violation
SUBEB’s Acting Chairman was angry that TheInvestigator did not visit for a pre-arranged visit, while UBEC did not respond to the FOI request of this reporter.
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