Governor Seyi Makinde, on Monday ordered immediate probe into the dilapidation of a Model building at Oba Akinbiyi High School, Oremeji, Ibadan, said to be executed by direct labour at the cost of N400 million.
The governor who paid a surprise visit to physically assess the structural challenges reported to be troubling educational activities in the school saw teachers and students fleeing from the building over fears of being trapped
During the visit, the governor mandated state officials to investigate the reason behind the immediate past administration’s termination of contract for the school building and the subsequent approval for its execution by Direct Labour at the cost of N400million.
He vowed that his administration would not watch while the lives of teachers and students are endangered, saying though the school was only commissioned a few days before the expiration of the tenure of the last administration, the building was no longer functional, with the teachers and students said to no longer feel safe inside the building.
“In the file that came to me, this place was commissioned the week that I took over, 29th of May, 2019, a year plus ago. You can see it out there. Even the Oba Akinbiyi they wrote (the signboard) there, is falling off. If you go inside, the tiles are broken. The structural integrity of the entire building is doubtful, and we have teachers and students in there. We don’t want the building to collapse on anybody. So, we came to check”, he said.
Expressing displeasure at the structural defects noticed in the building, the governor said the walls and the tiles were already giving way just one year after completion and that the structural integrity of the entire building was doubtful considering its present dilapidated state.
“The borehole is not working. According to the principal, they have 57 toilets in here, but the students still go to the bush to do stuff. From the report that came to me, the contract was terminated from the original contractor and over N400 Million was released by the government to complete it through direct labour.
“So, I believe they will have to make some explanations as to why, first, the contract was terminated; second, why N400 Million was spent and the tiles, the doors, everything are basically broken.”