Dr. Usman Ogbo, Acting Rector, Kogi State Polytechnic, has decried the rate of abandoned Tertiary Education Trust Fund projects in the institution, warning prospective contractors to brace up or risk being blacklisted.
Ogbo, who disclosed this at the opening of pre-qualification bidding for seven TETFUND projects at the institution on Wednesday in Lokoja, urged the contractors to adhere strictly to contract specifications and time frame.
The Rector said eight giant TETFUND projects had been abandoned in the three campuses of the institution for over 10 years, adding that the situation was unacceptable to the new management of the institution.
He said: “If you visit our campus in Osara, Itakpe and the main campus in Lokoja, abandoned projects litter the campuses and some have remained abandoned for nine to 10 years and several millions of Naira have been sunk into the projects.”
Ogbo warned contractors handling various projects in the school to live up to expectation.
He said: “I wonder why a contractor will take money having bidded and won contracts and refuse to complete the project.”
He said the opening of bidding for the seven projects would enable the institution’s management to know and monitor contractors handling the projects.
On the hostels renovation work which had been abandoned for about four years, Ogbo said the institution’s management had concluded plans to complete the renovation through a Public Private Partnership arrangement with Zenith Bank PLC.
He added that the polytechnic’s clinic would be expanded to 30-bed capacity to serve students, staff and the host community.
Ogbo said the existing three-bed clinic was grossly inadequate considering the population of students and staff of the institution.
He assured that the new management would leave no stone unturned in its effort to ensure development and transformation of the institution.
He said: “Whatever we do with this appointment given to us by the state Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello today, posterity is there to judge us.
“Therefore, we will not relent in our effort to do the needful for the development of the polytechnic.”
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