Kebbi State government celebrated the 30th anniversary of its creation in low key as it mourns the death of one of the over 90 students of the Federal Government College Birnin Yauri that have been in captivity for over two months.
Though the students are under the care of the federal government as the school is owned by the federal government, but the Kebbi State governor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, stood by the parents of the kidnapped students as a day after the incident, the governor visited the school and met with the parents.
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While interacting with them at the school’s assembly hall, the governor assured them that his government would not rest on its oars until the abducted students are reunited with their families.
Part of the efforts of the governor to secure the release of the abducted students was an open invitation extended to the local hunters in the state, when they were at the Kebbi Government House as part of their solidarity with the state government over the kidnapping of the students.
They also indicated their readiness to render assistance to the state government in ensuring that the captives were rescued.
“The present government will not rest on its oars until it is sure that all the people in the state can sleep with their two eyes close. I also assure you that the government will remain committed till all the abducted students are reunited with their parents.
“We can share the pain and grief every one is going through as parents. The government in its unwavering commitment is fully mobilizing the security agencies toward ensuring that the abducted students are not only rescued but also returned home safely.”
Addressing the hunters, Governor Bagudu assured them of all the support they might require, saying even as a governor, he was combat ready to join them in the bush in not only securing the release of the students but also to secure the entire forest of the state against bandits.
“Government will not fold its arms and watch some miscreants terrorise innocent citizens. That must be brought to an end and our schools must be secured for our children. No responsible government will agree to this; therefore, all the perpetrators must be brought to book.”
The governor addressed the hunters in company of his counterparts – the chairman of Governors Forum and governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, as well as the governor of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru.
The two governors, who visited the state in solidarity over the unfortunate incident in the state, also addressed the hunters by boosting their morale in the fight against banditry.
Governor Bagudu did not limit his commitment in fighting insecurity to only incorporating the local hunters, but also adopted a new approach to the fight by introducing local content as part of the hardware in combating insecurity in the state.
The state government did not stop at donating vehicles and other logistics to the conventional security outfits but is improving on such vehicles pencilled down for donation to security agencies.
The state deputy governor, Colonel Ismaila Yombe, took up the challenge of redesigning the vehicles earmarked for donation to the military to not only suit the terrain of the state but also improve their capacity to fight insecurity.
Recently, the state government procured ten Toyoto Land Cruiser and with the help of the state deputy governor, the vehicles were converted to bullet proof armoured carriers.
Speaking, while unveiling the vehicles, Col. Yombe said they were remodelled in order to improve on the supply of military hardware to soldiers at the frontline, adding that the vehicles were redesigned to conform with the difficult terrain of the state.
He added that with the introduction of local content in the fleet of the military, high cost incurred by the government in procuring armoured carriers will be reduced significantly.
In her effort to fight the spread of cancer, the Kebbi State First Lady, Dr. Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu, through her Foundation – Medicaid, has embarked on a campaign to encourage early dictation of the killer disease.
The Medicaid foundation is working in collaboration with the Kebbi State government as 10,000 women across the state have been selected to be tested for breast and cervical cancer.
The State Commissioner for Health, Mohammed Jafar, who said 5,000 of the women would be screened for cervical cancer while the other 5,000 would go for breast cancer screening, noted that with the help of Dr. Bagudu, Kebbi is among the states in the fore front of fighting the dreaded disease.
He added that apart from free treatment offered to victims by the state government at the Kebbi Medical Centre (KMC), there is also a fund meant to sponsor indigent patients who were referred for advanced treatment, saying that so far, the state has treated 220 cancer patients.
“The campaign is aimed at curtailing the spread of the disease in the state. Cancer is curable if dictated early, hence the campaign for screening for the disease.
“Kebbi State government has established a free cancer treatment plant at the Kalgo Medical Centre, Birnin Kebbi. At the centre, patients are seen by the best hands as the state hires consultants, as well as access free medication.
“The women folk suffering from cervical and breast cancer have enjoyed several interventions from the state government; with the most recent being the donation of N30 million for subsidizing treatment of the dreaded disease.”
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