By BANNERNEWS Reporter
The Jigawa State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Special Duties has dismissed and suspended several school feeding contractors over alleged fraud and supply of substandard food items to public schools.
The affected contractors were accused of inflating student enrolment figures and serving poor-quality meals, particularly in some boarding schools in Dutse Local Government Area.
The irregularities were uncovered during an unannounced inspection of schools by ministry officials and inspectors on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, as part of routine compliance checks.
Briefing journalists in Dutse, Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Special Duties, Auwal D. Sankara, said the surprise visits were aimed at safeguarding students’ welfare and ensuring contractors adhere strictly to programme guidelines.
At the Girls Model Boarding School, Kudai, a contractor, Jibrin Maifata, was found to have inflated the school’s population to 1,008 students instead of the actual headcount of 681. He was immediately suspended after meals served were adjudged unfit for consumption.
Inspectors also rejected a supply of low-quality rice at Government Commercial Secondary School, Dutse, while the Chairman of the School Feeding Contractors, Alhaji Sule Zai, was dismissed over lapses recorded during the exercise.
Similarly, three contractors at the School for Arabic and Islamic Studies, Dutse—Kamalu Sulaiman, Alhaji Abdullahi Abanderi and Alhaji Umaru Chamo—were suspended for supplying incomplete food items.
However, inspectors recorded full compliance at the School for the Visually Impaired, Limawa, where student figures matched the actual headcount. The contractor was retained but cautioned to improve meal quality and nutritional standards.
Sankara reaffirmed the Jigawa State Government’s zero-tolerance stance on corruption, stressing that the administration of Governor Umar Namadi Danmodi would sustain routine and surprise inspections to ensure transparency, accountability and quality service delivery in the school feeding programme.
