Governor Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State says his government has recorded 92% success in its empowerment initiative involving giving out goats as soft loan to women in the state.
Speaking in the BBC Hausa Service programme on a variety of issues affecting the state, he said while the loan in which women across the state were given goats as a revolving loan has been popular and successful among women, the youth empowerment intervention has also reached 150,000 youths across the council areas.
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On his campaign promise to erect 50 housing units in each local government area of the state, he agreed that it was yet to be fulfilled, but insisted that the project was being delivered in 10 out 21 council areas of the state.
He further disclosed that the government was working towards enacting legislation that would guarantee life jail for rapists.
The governor also said the government was working towards banning the almajiri system by streamlining the practice with western education and discouraging parents from sending their children for educational pursuit under the almajiri practice.
On water supply, the governor maintained that the state government has so far spent over N500 million on Dutse water project by raising the water supply level from 140 million to 245 million litres, which translated to 80-90% of the state’s access to potable water; and made Jigawa the second state in terms of water supply in the country.
Responding to question on the deplorable state of Basirka-Gwaram 60Km road in the state, the governor said it was a big project that had been giving him sleepless nights, explaining that it was included in the 2020 budget which had been adversely affected by the current pandemic.
“I can assure that it’s going to be done by the end of the year,” he said.
On the controversial allocation of 12,000 hectares of farmland to a Chinese firm without adequate compensation, Badaru said, “I can testify that more than 80% of these farmers voluntarily welcomed the idea and were compensated.