By Muhammad Garba
The Jigawa State Government has taken decisive action against alleged fraud and substandard service delivery in the State School Feeding Programme, suspending several contractors following unannounced inspections across boarding schools in Dutse Local Government Area.
The operation, carried out on Wednesday, January 7, was led by the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Special Duties, Hon. Auwal D. Sankara, as part of efforts to safeguard student welfare and restore integrity to one of the state’s most critical social intervention programmes.
According to findings from the inspections, the monitoring team uncovered widespread irregularities, including inflated student population figures, poor-quality food supplies, and incomplete deliveries—practices the Commissioner described as “a direct betrayal of public trust and an assault on the wellbeing of our children.”
At the Girls Model Boarding School, Kudai, the team discovered a stark discrepancy between official records and reality. While the school principal reported a student population of 1,008, a physical headcount revealed only 681 students—an inflation of over 30 percent. Even more alarming was the condition of the food served, as the soup provided was declared unfit for human consumption. Consequently, the contractor, Jibrin Maifata, was immediately suspended.
At the Government Commercial Secondary School, Dutse, inspectors rejected a consignment of low-grade rice deemed below acceptable standards. In a move underscoring zero tolerance for negligence, the Commissioner dismissed Alhaji Sule Zai, who was serving as the Chairman of the School Feeding Contractors.
Similarly, at the School for Arabic and Islamic Studies, Dutse, three contractors—Kamalu Sulaiman, Alhaji Abdullahi Abanderi, and Alhaji Umaru Chamo—were suspended after being found guilty of delivering incomplete food supplies to students.
However, the exercise also recorded a commendable exception. At the School for the Visually Impaired, Limawa, the reported student numbers accurately matched the physical count. The contractor, Adamu Khalid, was retained but issued a stern warning to improve meal quality by ensuring consistent supply and increasing protein and fruit content in line with students’ needs.
Reacting to the development, Hon. Sankara reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to Governor Umar A. Namadi’s (Danmodi) 12-Point Agenda, stressing that the administration would not tolerate the diversion of resources meant for the nutrition and education of Jigawa’s children.
“Any individual found sabotaging this programme for personal gain will face the full weight of the law,” the Commissioner warned.
The Jigawa State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Special Duties noted that the inspections will continue across the state, as government intensifies monitoring to ensure transparency, accountability, and value for public funds in all social intervention programmes.
The crackdown has been widely viewed as a strong signal of the Namadi administration’s resolve to protect vulnerable students and enforce standards in public service delivery.
