The controversial Bamia Primary School remains unfinished but the contractor believes it will be completed by the second week of this month.
In response to inquiries from SN about the current status of the Bamia school, Rawle Ferguson from St8tment Investment Inc stated last week that “It’s 95% complete. We expect to hand it over in the second week of January. The workers took time off during the Christmas season, and at various points, we faced challenges with labour, materials, and weather, but we managed to work around these issues to finish the project.”
Photos seen by Stabroek News show that there is still work to be done on the school.
In October, SN reported that the company responsible for the contentious contract said that the project was 95% complete. Several extensions were granted to St8tment Investment Inc to finalize the project. The construction was initially projected to last 20 months, starting in November 2021, and was anticipated to be finished by July 2023.
St8tment Inc, which has been relatively quiet regarding the project, stated in October, “Despite political mischief and various challenges during construction—such as material shortages, rising costs, and labor shortages—the Bamia School in Linden, Region 10, is now 95% complete.” It mentioned that due to the challenges faced, the company received an extension to complete the school by late 2024 and was on track to meet this updated deadline, with only minor work remaining in the areas of electrical and plumbing installations.
Akanni Blair, the Project’s Chief Foreman, in a previous statement said, “This will be one of the region’s most modern and advanced schools and is set to be a great environment for learning.” The announcement highlighted that the school features modern facilities, including a gymnasium, a main building with 44 spacious classrooms, an auditorium with a performance stage, a sick bay with showers, two smart classrooms, contemporary restroom facilities, a library, a music room, a science lab, a staff room, and additional amenities.
The contract for this project was awarded under the auspices of the Minis-try of Local Government and Regional Develop-ment. St8tment Investment Inc was granted the $346 million contract despite lacking previous experience in building schools. The company, which was established just a few months prior to participating in the bidding process, is headed by Rawle Ferguson and Kerwin Bollers from Hits and Jams Entertainment, along with Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major and Kashif Muhammed from the Kashif and Shanghai football tournament, and has no documented construction history.