Gov. Bello Matawalle of Zamfara, has approved contracts for the construction and renovation of 571 classrooms across the state to enhance basic education.
Yusuf Idris, the Director-General of Public Enlightenment, Media and Communications to the governor disclosed this to journalists in Gusau on Friday.
Idris said the governor had already issued certificates to the benefiting contractors who were selected from within the state as part of the administration’s policy of encouraging home based contractors.
He said the project would comprise the construction of 423 new classrooms and the renovation of 148 existing ones across primary and junior secondary schools in the state.
He also said that the Matawalle-led administration had declared a state of emergency on education in the state from inception and would not relent in its efforst to revamp the sector.
According to the director, the governor had cautioned the contractors against sourcing either labourers or building materials from outside as such resources abound in the state.
Earlier, Chairman of the state’s Universal Basic Education Board, Alhaji Abubakar Danmadami said the 423 classrooms project was under the 2019 matching grant of N3.1 billion.
He explained that apart from the construction of the classrooms, 148 existing structures would also be renovated as well as sinking of 19 boreholes with overhead water tanks, fencing of 20 schools, construction of 57 cells VIP toilets and three units of VIP latrines.
Danmadami also disclosed that all the contracts awarded by his board under the 2018 intervention grants amounting to N5.5 billion had been completed.
