The Jigawa State Government has terminated the appointments of several school feeding contractors and kitchen supervisors over alleged irregularities in the state’s feeding programme.
This was contained in a statement issued by the office of the Commissioner for Humanitarian Services, Hon. Awwalu D. Sankara, which accused the affected individuals of involvement in fraudulent practices, including the diversion of food meant for students and hospital patients.
The government expressed concern over reported cases of misconduct among some school and hospital food suppliers, warning that strict measures would be enforced to identify and prosecute offenders.
“The Jigawa State Government has taken firm action against corruption in its feeding programme. All culprits will face the full weight of the law, as the government will not condone cheating or breach of trust,” the statement read.
The action followed a series of unannounced inspections conducted by the commissioner across schools and health facilities in Kazaure, Roni, Gwiwa, and Yankwashi Local Government Areas.
Sankara revealed that the inspections uncovered discrepancies between reported and actual student populations in some schools.
“In some schools, the number of students being reported was far higher than those actually present,” he said.
“At Government Junior Secondary School, Karkarna in Yankwashi, only 123 students were physically present, despite records indicating 257.”
He added that similar discrepancies were observed in other locations, raising concerns over possible diversion of funds allocated for the feeding programme.
The commissioner also noted that inspectors received complaints regarding the quality of food supplied, with some contractors allegedly providing substandard rice and failing to meet approved feeding standards.
Following the findings, four kitchen supervisors were dismissed for allegedly falsifying records, while two contractors were disengaged for supplying substandard food. Another contractor at Gwiwa Hospital was also sacked for reportedly skipping meals and failing to meet required standards.
Meanwhile, two school officials are currently under investigation for allegedly collaborating to manipulate records at the Government Girls Science Secondary School in Roni.
Sankara stressed that the government would not tolerate any act capable of depriving students and patients of their entitlements.
He assured residents that the state government would sustain unannounced inspections to ensure the feeding programme meets its objectives.
