The Jigawa State Government has suspended and dismissed several school food contractors following allegations of fraud and delivering substandard meals to students.
The Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Special Duties, Hon. Auwal Danladi Sankara, announced the action after a series of unannounced inspections across boarding schools in Dutse Local Government Area.
The inspections were conducted to audit the integrity of the State School Feeding Programme and to ensure the welfare of students is not compromised for private gain.
During the monitoring exercise, officials uncovered serious discrepancies between reported student numbers and actual headcounts.
At Girls Model Boarding School, Kudai, the principal reported 1,008 students, but the physical count showed only 681, an inflation of over 30 per cent.
In addition, the soup provided to the students was deemed unfit for consumption, leading to the immediate suspension of contractor Jibrin Maifata.
At Government Commercial Secondary School in Dutse, inspectors rejected a supply of low-quality rice.
As a result, the commissioner dismissed Alhaji Sule Zai, the chairman of the contractors.
Similarly, at the School for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Dutse, three contractors, Kamalu Sulaiman, Alhaji Abdullahi Abanderi, and Alhaji Umaru Chamo, were suspended for delivering incomplete food supplies.
The ministry, however, acknowledged a positive example at the School for the Visually Impaired in Limawa, where the reported and actual student numbers matched.
Contractor Adamu Khalid was allowed to continue but received a strict warning to ensure timely deliveries and to improve the nutritional content by adding more protein and fruits, as requested by the students.
The Jigawa State Government reaffirmed its commitment to Governor Danmodi’s 12-Point Agenda, stressing that anyone found diverting funds meant for feeding and educating children will face strict legal consequences.
