Gombe SEC Approves Contract for Completion of Abandoned College of Nursing Dukku

Segun Awofadeji in Gombe

The Gombe State Executive Council has approved a revised contract for the completion of the abandoned College of Nursing and Midwifery, Dukku, which is to be converted to a campus of the state university.

The conversion, according to the Commissioner for Higher Education, Mr. Meshack Audu Lauco, was prompted by the fact that the structure did not meet the criteria of a school, because it did not have the backing of a law establishing it, with no management and staff employed.

After the State Executive Council (SEC) meeting yesterday,  Lauco, who is overseeing the Ministry of Information told journalists that the previous government awarded the contract in 2013 with about 91 percent of the contract sum paid but not completed.

Lauco said because the construction was not completed, the administration of Governor Muhammadu Yahaya reviewed it and decided to complete it and put it to good use by converting it to a campus of the Gombe State University.

According to him, “In order to facilitate it as a true campus of the Gombe State University, the council decided to award and approve a revised contract sum of N3.28 billion. The initial project sum that was awarded by the previous government was N2.4 billion. This means the only addition that this government is making in order to have that project completed and put to use is N 837 million for the completion of that project, within a period of 16 weeks.”

He said the contract would be completed within 16 weeks and used by the Gombe State University as a campus.

Highlighting details of the contract, the Commissioner of Housing and Urban Development, Hon. dris Abdullahi, said the initial contract sum was N2, 442, 895, 777, 86 kobo.

Abdullahi said when the decision for the completion of the project was taken, it was to fast-track the project and take it to a logical conclusion to enable the state university to make proper use of the site.

He said: It discovered there were two CVs of N101 million that had not been paid and the governor directed the Ministry of Housing to pay it.

The commissioner said afterward, the contractor, authorities of the university and the ministry began mobilising for the restarting of the project by first asking for the bill of completion.

According to him, because of the time difference and cost of materials then and now, the contractor brought a bill of N885, 878, 841, 80 kobo, which the ministry analysed and made savings of N18, 560, 439. 18.

He said when completed, the reviewed contract would be N3, 280, 214, 180. 48.

He said by December, when the 16 weeks project would have been completed, the structure would be used by the Gombe State University.

The state Commissioner of Housing said the government was expected to pay the sum of N1, 339, 202, 223. 72 for the completion of the project.

In another development, the State Executive Council has approved the emergency repairs of some roads washed out at various locations, to different construction companies at a total cost of N802 326, 576.

Also, the Commissioner of Works, Abubakar Bappah, said the road wash-outs had occurred in a number of places and if not handled now, would lead to a total cut-off of some places.

Bappa said the repairs were necessary to forestall further damage to the roads.