The move comes after complaints from parents and the public, as well as unannounced inspections by officials from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Special Duties in schools within Dutse Local Government Area.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Special Duties, Auwalu Sankara, said the measures were aimed at “sanitising the state’s school feeding programme and protecting pupils’ welfare.” He emphasised that the inspections were designed to ensure children were not shortchanged.
At the Girls Model Boarding School, Kudai, Dutse, Sankara revealed that the monitoring team found a discrepancy of over 30% between reported student numbers and the actual headcount, with only 681 students present out of 1,008 reported. Additionally, the soup provided to students was deemed unfit for consumption, prompting the suspension of contractor Jibrin Maifata.
At Government Commercial Secondary School, Dutse, low-quality rice supplies led to the termination of Alhaji Sule Zai’s contract, who also serves as chairman of the contractors. Similarly, three contractors—Kamalu Sulaiman, Alhaji Abdullahi Abanderi, and Alhaji Umaru Chamo—were suspended for delivering incomplete supplies to the School for Arabic and Islamic Studies, Dutse.
However, the commissioner noted that the contractor at the School for the Visually Impaired, Limawa, Adamu Khalid, met expectations, with student records matching actual numbers, and therefore retained.
“While we are cracking down on errant contractors, we also acknowledge and appreciate those who are doing their job honestly,” Sankara said, warning that the government would not tolerate any compromise on student welfare and that violators would face legal consequences.
Attempts to reach affected contractors and school heads for comment were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, some stakeholders, including the Jigawa-Next Forum, commended the government’s intervention, urging that suspended contractors refund payments for undelivered services and that credible replacements be appointed promptly to avoid disruption of the feeding programme.