Kwara to spend N11.2 billion to revamp schools

Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State has said that his administration will spend a sum of N11.2 billion to revamp schools’ infrastructure in the state.

Speaking during the commissioning of new ultra-modern library complex funded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TEDFUND) in the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete in Moro local government area of the state on Saturday, the governor said that the aim is to save the deteriorating conditions of schools in the state.

“Apart from that this would lead to the facelift of those schools and create a conducive environment for learning, contracts to be awarded will also inject some money into the local economy with multiple effects on the public,” he said.

Represented by his deputy, Kayode Alabi, the governor decried the decay in the infrastructural facilities in the state before his assumption of office.

“Everything is messed up in Kwara State, the decay will take years to fix but we are convinced that we will succeed if everybody
supports us. We are starting on ground zero. We are faced with a criminal breakdown of basic infrastructure across every sector in the state, especially in the education and health sectors.

“Just last week, we had to pay N250 million to offset two months’ salaries the state government owed workers across the state colleges of education. We also paid an additional N50 million to secure re-accreditation for two of the colleges.

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“We still have a backlog of arrears to pay these teachers. We have promised to steadily offset these backlogs with an appeal to the workers to return to work after many months of industrial action to protest the neglect of the schools by people elected to serve the public. The decay in the infrastructure across our primary and secondary schools is better imagined. The more any patriot sees such a thing the sadder he becomes because it points at a bleak future unless something urgent is done.

“It was so bad that funds meant for upgrades of facilities at the primary schools were diverted with serious consequences for the state. Our government is determined to raise a generation of children who are able to cope with the education needs of the 21st century.”

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Professor Suleiman Bogoro described the Library as the best in the country pledging that the Fund would always support laudable projects.

In his message, the Project Consultant, Architect Mahamud Faworaja said the library is a complete research centre and run twenty-four hours service.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of KWASU, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah who reeled out his achievements commended TETFUND for its support which he explained would boost learning and research work.