By Njide Ezeonyejiaku
The Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board, ASUBEB, Awka has commenced the process of executing the 2022, 2023 and 2024 intervention fund projects for Primary and Junior Secondary Schools in Anambra State under the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC matching grant scheme with the official tenders bid opening.
The event, held at the Utility Hall, ASUBEB headquarters, Awka was witnessed by the critical stakeholders including the Staff and Board Members of ASUBEB, Contractors, Civil Society Organisations, representatives of UBEC; the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC; the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the EFCC; the State Bureau of Public Procurement Commission; the Attorney General and Accountant General of Anambra State, among others to ensure that the required due process is being followed.
In her address, the Executive Chairman, ASUBEB, Awka, Dr. Vera Nkiru Nwadinobi thanked the State Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR for making it possible for the State to access the UBEC grants by paying the State’s counterpart cash contribution.
According to Dr. Nwadinobi, the Governor was aware of the invaluable impact which the grant would have on the infrastructural needs of the basic schools and not only cleared the 2019, 2020, and 2021 backlog of counterpart funds, but also paid the 2022, 2023 and 2024 scheme, promising to pay the 2025 funding to provide a conducive learning environment for learners.
The ASUBEB boss stressed that the process of the technical bid opening was in line with the 2007 Public Procurement Act (PPA) of the Federal and State governments.
“As a matter of fact, the bidding process is an important component of the procurement law which emphasizes competition, transparency, and accountability in the award of contracts”, she noted.
Continuing, Dr. Nwadinobi stated that in the next few days, the Technical Evaluation Committee of the Board will evaluate the bids to review the technical and financial components to determine the most responsive ones, adding that Mr. Governor has instructed that due process should be strictly followed to ensure that only the competent bidders would win the contracts.
Earlier, in a welcome address, the Head of Procurement unit, ASUBEB, Mr Echezona Chinedu assured of utmost transparency in the process, pointing out that as long as the bidders supplied all the essential requirements for the bids as advertised in the National Dailies, nothing will debar such contractor from scaling through the bidding process.
The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Aisha Garba, represented by the Anambra State Coordinator, UBEC, Mr. Kingsley Nlewedim expressed satisfaction with the process and urged the contractors who would scale through to live up to expectations by delivering according to the specific standards and ensure that the projects are completed as scheduled.
In their respective remarks, the ASUBEB Board Secretary, Lady Loveline Mgbemena, the Board Member 1, Hon Ify Anatune, the Matching Grant Desk Officer, Barr. Eucharia Ohuoha, and the Deputy Director, Physical Planning ASUBEB, Esv. Obinna Nwachukwu observed that the bids that were properly documented would get to the next level of the process before the awards would be granted, adding that Governor Soludo has consistently shown remarkable passion in providing a better learning environment for Umu Akwukwo Anambra, appealing to the contractors to leave no stone unturned to deliver quality service.
Reacting, some of the contractors, including Engr. Pius Akam, Chief Raymond Uchebo, and Dr. Tochukwu Obiadi described the process as evidently transparent and promised to deliver positive results if given the chance.
The event featured the opening, sorting and documentation of every bid that was submitted in the presence of the stakeholders.
