Teachers and students of Zangbalun RC Junior High School (JHS) in the Kumbungu district of the Northern Region were left stranded on Monday morning after Issahaku Osman, the chairman of the Zangbalun polling station for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), locked the school premises.
The action was taken in protest over unpaid contract fees owed to the school by the government.
The local assembly reportedly owes the NPP chairman ¢69,400 for renovation work he completed after being contracted in 2021.
The renovation became necessary when a rainstorm severely damaged the school building.
The assembly had promised to pay Osman upon the project’s completion, but after three years without payment, he locked up the facility to compel the assembly to settle the debt.
Osman explained that the District Chief Executive approached him in 2021 after inspecting the storm damage.
The agreement was that Osman would renovate the building using his resources, and the assembly would reimburse him from the common fund once it was disbursed.
Osman said he initially used his business funds to start the project but later took out a loan from Bonzali Rural Bank to complete the work, which included windows and painting.
“I used my business money to start the project. When it was left with the windows and painting, I ran out of funds, so I had to borrow to finish it,” he explained.
