The Niger State Government has defended its decision to renovate six schools with a total amount of N2.1billion.
Recall that the state Government announced recently that it spent the said amount on renovating 6 schools in the state which sparked major reaction chiefly outrage and criticism from the masses.
Defending the project, the State Commissioner for Education, Hajiya Fatima Magudu while speaking during a telephone conversation with Punch noted that the amount spent was not inflated.
She further added that the structures on ground in the six renovated schools which includes; Government Secondary School, Kutigi; Government Secondary School, Bida; Mariam Babangida Girls’ Secondary School, Minna; Government Secondary School Izom; Government Girls Secondary School Kontagora and Government Secondary School, Rijau were worth the amount expended.
She said: “Have you been to the schools? Go to these schools and assess the jobs going on there. They are science and conventional schools and we are adopting a whole school development approach.
“There are staff quarters, new classrooms, libraries and everything that you can think of in a school environment. We are renovating to the standard of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. The scope of work going on is even more than the budget and the state government is committed to lifting the faces of these schools that have deteriorated.
“Twenty-five per cent of the budget has been released to the contractors and another is being expected. We cannot ascertain the number of schools that we are going to renovate but many schools will be included in the project. We are confident that the renovation will be completed this year.”