- Contractors Accuse Bayelsa Education Ministry of Illegal Deductions
- Deductions disguised as “logistics” and “supervision” fees
- Ministry says no formal complaint has been submitted
By Grateful Ogunjebe
Contractors in Bayelsa State have accused the Ministry of Education of making illegal deductions from project funds.
They claim the ministry takes between 10 to 15 per cent from their payments, under unclear terms like “logistics” and “supervision.”
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the deductions, according to several sources, are crippling project delivery and forcing contractors to abandon education projects mid-way.
One contractor, who handled a school project in Southern Ijaw, said the ministry’s demand made it impossible to complete the job.
Another contractor said such deductions are unique to the education ministry and not found in others like the health sector.
“This practice is killing our work,” he said. “They deduct before we even receive mobilisation. It’s frustrating.”
An Ijaw contractor and titleholder described the move as fraudulent and called on Governor Douye Diri to launch a probe.
He said most of the affected contractors were told to submit formal complaints to the Finance Commissioner, which they’ve yet to do.
The affected contractors also raised concerns about the impact of inflation, saying the deductions worsen their financial burden.
“By the time you finish paying everyone, there’s barely anything left for the project itself,” one contractor explained.
In response, the Ministry of Education’s Director of Finance, Mr Joe Sikpi, denied knowledge of the complaints.
“We’ve not received such complaints from our contractors,” Sikpi said. “They should write officially if they have any issue.”
The controversy adds to growing concerns over transparency and mismanagement in state-run infrastructure projects.
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