The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board has charged contractors handling intervention projects in public primary schools across the state to adhere strictly to approved specifications, professional standards and contractual terms.
The Board also warned that unnecessary delays, poor workmanship, use of substandard materials and deviation from approved designs could attract sanctions.
The Executive Chairman of LASUBEB, Dr Hakeem Babatunde Shittu, gave the charge at a project implementation briefing for contractors, vendors, suppliers and service providers held at the Board on Monday.
According to a statement obtained from the agency’s Facebook page on Thursday, the meeting was organised to ensure effective project delivery, accountability and value for money in government interventions in the basic education sector.
Shittu said the intervention projects were being executed as fixed contracts, stressing that the arrangement did not permit contractors to compromise quality or deviate from approved specifications.
He said, “The fixed nature of the contracts does not provide room for compromising quality or deviating from approved specifications. All projects must be completed within stipulated timelines and to the required standards to provide safe, functional and conducive learning environments for pupils.”
The LASUBEB chairman said the projects represented significant investments by the state and Federal Governments in the future of basic education and should therefore be executed with professionalism, integrity and responsibility.
He urged contractors and other service providers to regard themselves as partners in the delivery of the state’s education agenda and ensure that their projects provided the intended value to schools and communities.
Shittu further warned that poor workmanship, unnecessary delays and the use of substandard materials could undermine the objectives of the projects and attract appropriate sanctions in line with relevant regulations and contractual provisions.
Speaking during the technical session, an architect with the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Ebenezer Odeyale, urged contractors to prioritise proper planning, effective supervision, quality control and strict adherence to approved specifications.
Odeyale also advised the contractors to engage registered engineers and other qualified professionals to ensure structural integrity, safety, quality workmanship and sustainability.
The Board Secretary, Hakeem Lamidi, urged stakeholders to comply with applicable laws and contractual requirements, provide relevant documentation and maintain high standards of integrity and technical competence throughout project execution.
The briefing also provided an opportunity for contractors, vendors, suppliers and service providers to seek clarification on project requirements, implementation procedures, monitoring mechanisms, documentation and reporting responsibilities.
