By Muktar Mohammed Gidado, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media.
It will be recalled that Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed Kauran Bauchi was sworn in as the new Executive Governor of Bauchi state at a large crowd of people at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium Bauchi after winning the 2019 gubernatorial election conducted in the state.
The Governor soon after his historical victory in the general election, engaged seasoned technocrats, Academics, and professionals into an Advisory Committee with a view to transforming his vision into Development Agenda for Bauchi State which would re-invent the Bauchi society and its local economy as well as the state return to the path of prosperity.
It is the heart of this transformation agenda, coupled with the determination of his administration to improve the quality of life of the citizens, foster peaceful coexistence among the various social groups and to grow the local economy in order to create more jobs opportunities and wealth among the populace.
He said the recommendations received from the committee had made the basis of government policies, programs, and activities within the tenure of his administration as it has already presented a beautiful work on Youth Empowerment, Poverty Reduction, Agriculture, Security, Anti Corruption, Infrastructure, Education, Health, Economics and Social Investment among others.
To execute the above recommendations, the A
Administration of Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed intensified its efforts on skills acquisition programs, modern system, Computer Training, and various educational interventions, in addition to empowering the State Ministry of Youth’s to coordinate its agencies in order to acquire fruitful results towards improving the well being of the citizens.
I firmly believe that unless and until states and Communities take positive steps to break the circle of poverty, by empowering the youths and women, we will continue to be confronted with serious menace of social vices. We must, therefore, continue to engage them positively or bear the risk of producing more thugs, kidnappers among numerous other social miscreants. “According to him”.
As part of efforts to fulfill his campaign promises, the governor ordered for the review of the State Master Plan on infrastructural development template on which every other program so as to get the desired attention in order to enable the state to regain its pride of becoming one of the best states.
To ensure effective delivery of his policies and programs, Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed requested the State House of Assembly to revise the 2019 budget of one hundred and ninety-seven billion, two hundred and eighty-nine million, seventy-four thousand, two hundred and eighty naira.
Consequently, the revised budget size has a difference of one billion, five hundred and sixty million, sixty thousand and six hundred naira against the earlier proposed budget presented to the State House of Assembly by the immediate past Governor of the state, Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar.
Speaking shortly after signing the revised budget at the Council Chamber, Government House Bauchi, the governor said the review of the budget was to incorporate the projects that were in line with the manifesto of the People’s Democratic Party.
After revising the budget, the governor without any delay swift into action by identifying the sectors that have a direct bearing on the lives of the common man in an effort to alleviate their sufferings.
However, before the coming of the present administration in the state, people of Bauchi state had experienced so many challenges due to unavailability of water, the Governor released over 137 million naira to the Bauchi State Urban Water and Sewerage Corporation with immediate effect as part of efforts to find lasting solution to the shortage of water supply in the state
Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has also flagged off contracts for the Rehabilitation and Expansion of Water Supply Facilities for the Bauchi metropolis multi-billion naira project designed to ensure affordable, economical and sustainable access to water services to all consumers within areas of coverage, in addition to activating water facilities to ensure effective water supply across the state.
The Bauchi State Urban Water Sector Reform Project is being executed by the state government with the support of the World Bank through a credit facility of sixty-five point five million dollars with the state government’s counterpart of six point five million dollars.
The major components of the project include Rehabilitation of Gubi Dam at the cost of 791,981,863.60, Rehabilitation and Expansion of Gubi Water treatment plant at the cost of 1,235,611,461.32, replacement of tx mains from Gubi Dam to Warinji and Buzaye Reservoir at the cost of 2,987,873,720.20, and 937,000,000 respectively.
Others are an extension of 100km main distribution network at the cost of 1,235,611,461.32, construction of 500mm mains Gubi Dam junction to the Reservoir at Buzaye Hills at the cost 890,470,864.53, and construction of 7000m3 concrete reservoir at Warinji hills at the cost of 2,987,873,720.26 among others.
As part of measures to improve the health status of citizens of the state, Governor Bala Mohammed kauran Bauchi also distributed six Ambulances to some Primary Healthcare Centers in the state at the Bauchi Office of the Sustainable Development Goals
Bauchi State Goals as part of the determination of his administration to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
The benefiting healthcare centers are Kafin Madaki General Hospital, Darazo General Hospital, Garin Na Allah PHC center, Gobiya PHC, and Udubo Maternity as well as Mashema Primary Health Center.
He emphasized that the provision of effective healthcare service delivery is one of the important basic social service required by his administration to ensure meaningful development.
The Governor has also officially flagged off the ceremony for the new scale-up Local Government Areas of the Nigeria State Health Investment Project NSHIP at Kirfi Local Government Area of the state, bringing with them new scale-up local government areas of having 203 health centers in ten local government areas benefiting from the project as millions of naira has been allocated for the project.
Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed while participating at the 2019 Mid-Year Review Meeting on Strengthening Bauchi State Primary Healthcare, Via Video Conference held at the Emergency Operations Center Bauchi, announced the deposition of 200 million naira out of the 339 million naira budgeted for this year’s State Basket Fund Contribution.
The Governor also said the present MOU needed to be re-negotiated in order to align with the state’s newly costed minimum service for primary healthcare, and pledged to ensure timely release of counterpart funding for polio eradication, thereby tasking stakeholders in the health sector to focus attention on improving the quality of data as government is improving its coverage indicators.
Similarly, as part of his administration’s partnership, Governor Bala Mohammed had considered credible leadership, dependable management and good governance as a formula for achieving success in addition to proper deployment of health workers.
The efforts made by the governor in the health sector has yielded positive results as it motivated an Abuja based Organization, Lautech Solutions Limited to donated hospital equipments worth over 250 million naira to Bauchi state Government.
According to the Chairman of the Organization, Alhaji Hussaini Bokane the gesture is to complement the efforts of Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed at ensuring effective provision of healthcare services to the people of the state and to address some of the challenges facing the state health sector.
On infrastructural development, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed flagged off the construction and rehabilitation of some roads in the state capital worth about 5 billion naira.
The projects are, construction of Gombe Road to Maiduguri Road Bye-Pass, Sabon Kaura to Jos Road Bye-Pass and rehabilitation of Sultan Abubakar Road to Muda Lawal Market Road and Yakubun Bauchi Quarters Road as part of efforts to reduce road accident.
The construction of Gombe Road project to Maiduguri Road bye-pass is 4.4 kilometers, Sabon Kaura to Jos Road bye-pass is 6.2 kilometers, Yakubun Bauchi Quarters is 1.8 kilometers while that of Muda Lawal market road is 1 kilometer.
A few days ago, he flagged off the construction of Hospital Road to Jama’are, Azare Bye-Pass is 1.3 kilometer, while that of Tafawa Balewa Road to Jama’are, Shira Road is 6.5 kilometer worth over one billion naira.
Speaking at the project site Azare, headquarters of Katagum Local Government Area, Governor Bala Mohammed said the Urban Road revival of the present administration is a strategic response to the infrastructural gap being experienced as a result of population growth and expansion of urban cities and towns.
The people’s Governor, and Kauran Bauchi has also flagged off the construction of Sade to Akuyam Road linking Dazaro and Misau local government areas awarded at the cost of over 3 billion naira which covers a distance of 16.2 kilometers to be constructed with two coats of surface dressing on a 7.3 meter carriageway and single coat on 1.5 meter shoulders on each side of the road which initially planned to be constructed in 1981.
Similarly, Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed flagged off the construction of the road linking Alkaleri and Tafawa Balewa local government Areas of the state at the cost of over 8 billion naira, covering communities of Yalwan Duguri to Badaran Dutse, Birim-Bajama to Kumbala, and Kundak-Wurno to Burga.
The road was designed to have a length of 58.4km with the total width of 10.3m which comprised of a carriageway of 7.3m and 1.5m shoulders on each side would be constructed with 4 bridges, 45 box culverts and 70 pipe culverts of different sizes as it is expected to be completed within 24 dry months.
The Governor who released 50 percent of the money for the projects awarded to facilitate the timely completion of the projects, said the award of contract for the construction of the roads was in line with the policy thrust of his administration of providing the infrastructure that has a direct bearing on the lives of the teeming populace.
On the education sector, the United States Agency for International Development USAID supported the Bauchi State Government with 600 million naira for the provision of learning materials for primary school pupils, the implementation of Teacher Management Information System while Federal Government had approved five billion naira as the 2019 Universal Basic Education Intervention Programme for Bauchi State to complement the efforts of the present administration in the state in addressing the challenges facing education sector by restoring its lost glory.
The Universal Basic Education Commission
under its Better Education Service Delivery for All project, Bauchi State Government also benefited from a grant of 3 million dollars to address the menace of out of school children.
On Agriculture, the State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed launched the 2019 farming season and sale of Fertilizer at Zaki Local Government Area of the state with the sales of the fertilizer at the cost of Five thousand five hundred naira per bag as already, funds have been released to the State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources to provide six thousand metric tonnes of the fertilizer.
In order to meet the fertilizer demand of farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture and BASAC was directed to ensure the availability of the commodities across the 20 local government areas of the state as the earlier sales of the fertilizer was part of the determination of his administration towards the provision of agricultural inputs to farmers in line with his campaign promises.
Agriculture being the mainstay of the economy and major employer of labor, the governor said Bauchi State Government will launch an Agricultural Policy Document to ensure smooth Agricultural production across the state.
On civil service matters, the governor had appointed the new Head of Civil Service, alongside the Special Adviser on Civil Service matters, Alhaji Nasiru Yalwa and Mr Abdon Dalla Gin and the release of 100 million naira for the payment of outstanding gratuities for retired workers while efforts are in top gear for the payment of other entitlements.
Consequently, as part of measures towards ensuring the involvement of youth and women into various ventures, the administration of Bala Mohammed had released the sum of 19 million naira as its counterpart funding to World Bank for the final cycle of the 20,416 Public Workfare Beneficiaries of the Youth Employment and Social Support Operation Programme, a World Bank project.
He without delay, he approved the establishment of a Petroleum Studies and Skills Acquisition Institute in Alkaleri local government Area of the state as the institute will train and produce requisite professionals to service to the oil industry in addition to teaching relevant skills to support various aspect of infrastructural development.
The Governor’s efforts to empower youth has yielded positive result as over 500 thugs notoriously called “Yan Sara-Suka in Bauchi surrendered and renounced their act of thuggery and criminality in the state.
Governor Bala Mohammed who lauded the youth for voluntarily surrendering their weapons promised that the government will rehabilitate them by organizing skills acquisition training.
In its efforts to respond to the yearnings and aspirations of citizens of the state through improvement in critical sectors of the economy, the Bauchi state Sustainable Development Goals had awarded contract for the execution of 16 projects in schools, health facilities and in some rural areas of the state.
The 16 projects include; the comprehensive renovation of primary schools at Yalwa practicing school in Bauchi local government Area, Tagwaje primary school in Darazo local government, Central primary school Azare in Katagum local government the procurement of classroom furniture for yalwa practicing school Bauchi and Centra primary school Azare, Katagum local government Area.
Others are the construction of primary health centers in Mansur village, Alkaleri local government, Dunkurmi, Misau local government, Yadure, Giade local government and rehabilitation of others in Dambam, Itas Gadau and Jama’are local government areas.
In addition, the scheme is to intervene in the rehabilitation of solar-powered boreholes in no Malar village, Bogoro local government Area, Sharfuri in Kirfi local government and Mainuri, Zaki local government Area.
In order to address environmental challenges facing the state, Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed had flagged off a Special Sanitation Exercise in the state capital where it was attended by the immediate past Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly, Alhaji Abubakar Sulaiman and Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Sulaimanu Adamu.
The exercise was part of the present administration’s determination to ensure Hygienic and Healthy environment, as Urban and Rural plans would be considered as part of efforts to ensure a clean environment in line with global best practices.
Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has received in audience, members of Wildlife Conservation Society as part of efforts to boost the tourism sector for enhancing the state’s Internally Generated Revenue.
The Governor pledged to review the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the state government and the society for the protection and conservation of facilities at the Yankari Games Reserve.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the current condition of the reserve and reaffirmed the determination of his administration to come up with strategies for enhancing the capacity and quality of services of the reserve to operate in line with international standards.
The Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two bodies was to ensure effective management of facilities in Yankari Games Reserved in the area of conservation.
As part of its determination to ensure human capital development in critical sectors of the economy,
Bauchi State Government is to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with investors from France.
Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed who disclosed this while receiving in audience, a team of investors from France on Human Capital Development held at Government House Bauchi, noted that the state has suffered due to lack of human capital development in the state civil service.
Senator Bala Mohammed said the MOU will focus on civil service and agriculture, and pledged to provide an enabling environment for effective implementation of the investor’s projects in the state.
According to the governor, the decision of the investors to establish skill acquisition centers in the state would enable the beneficiaries to become useful members of the society by contributing to the advancement of the state.
The team leader, Mr Fabian Bidan who said the team would establish skill acquisition centers in the state for youth development and improve the agricultural sector, noted that in addition to the establishment of the skills centers, the team would finance the state government for the execution of capital projects to enable the governor to meet his obligation.
Other events conducted by Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed Ministerial were the briefing received from all the State Ministries, Departments and Agencies to ensure effective implementation of his blueprint geared towards providing the required services and infrastructure to the people of the state.
As part of the celebration of the 2019 Democracy Day in Bauchi State, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Muhammad decided to celebrate the day with a visit to strategic places in order to look into the possibility of addressing their challenges.
Places visited were the Bauchi Central Prison, Bauchi Orphanage Center and Bauchi Remand Home where he said a committee for Prerogative of Mercy would be constituted with a view to reviewing pending cases of inmates.
Bauchi State is among the states in the country that was affected by flood disaster this year, the governor directed the State Emergency Management Agency to conduct enumeration exercise in all the flood areas across the state so as to support them.
The Governor who paid an assessment visit to areas affected by the flood, said already President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the release of 800 million naira for flood rehabilitation in Jama’are local government area of the state.
Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed while in Zaki local government, urged the federal government to as a matter of urgency ensure the full take-off of Kafin Zaki Dam project and enjoined the communities involved in the project to resolve amicably, the misunderstanding among them which led to the delay in the take-off of the project.
The Governor assured to provide all the necessary support for the project and suggested for the use of technology in order to ensure that all the affected communities get the required opportunities.
To ensure effective implementation of government policies and programs, the Kauran Bauchi appointed the State Commissioners and Local Government Caretaker Committee Chairmen.
It is however imperative to state that all these activities were conducted by the governor within the first 100 days of his administration.
