Yobe govt lists achievements in 5 years

The Yobe State government has listed the strides made in different sectors.

Briefing newsmen at the end of a tour of some projects in the state, Baba Malam Wali, Secretary to the State Government,  said the government of Governor Mai Mala Buni, has continued to “make our giant strides to make the State greater in line with the yearnings and aspirations of our people.”

He appreciated the working relationship of Buni’s administration with the Yobe State House of Assembly, saying it had immensely contributed to all the successes recorded so far.

On security, he said: “With our commitment backed by the Federal Government, gallantry of the security operatives, complementary efforts of the vigilante groups and the persistent prayers of our people, normalcy has returned to the insurgency most-ravaged areas and reconstruction, resettlement and rehabilitation of communities e.g Buni-yadi have been developed while that of Malamdunari is being carried out satisfactorily at present. In almost all parts of the State, people are now moving about pursuing their legitimate goals without hindrance.”

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Wali said the Buni administration had been consolidating on the achievements of successive administrations by making progress in manpower training and intensifying efforts to increase internally generated revenue collection and strengthening the Treasury Single Account.

He said: “The reforms and new approaches adopted enable us to minimize leakages in the execution of government businesses and record landmark achievements in the implementation of policies such as the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), State Fiscal, Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) and the Electronic Government Procurement System (e-GP) has fetched us commendation of the Federal Ministry of Finance and by the World Bank.

“Similarly, the World Bank awarded us a grant of 5 million dollars due to our reforms which are in tandem with World best practices in procurement, Annual Auditor General’s Report and other fiscal reforms.”

Wali said under Buni’s administration’s mass housing policy, 2,350 houses across the 17 Local Government Areas have been constructed and the estate provided with basic facilities.

“The houses of 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom types were offered to civil servants and other members of the public across the State on an owner-occupier basis with a fifty percent discount.”

On education, he said: “It could be recalled that the education sector was worst-hit during period of insurgency as the dogma of the insurgents prohibited western education. Their attacks were seriously on school structures, teachers and students. The killings, maiming, trauma and the structural destructions were too enormous for us to contend with.

“This necessitated us to immediately declare a state of emergency on education. This was followed by convening of Education Summit, constitution of Committee on Revitalization of Basic and Secondary Education and later on, Yobe State Education Trust Fund.
In this regard, we have been able to establish six new Model Schools, seven Mega Schools, nine new Government Girls Day Senior Secondary Schools, eight new co-education Government Day Senior Secondary Schools and additional one for boys across the State. One IDP School was also established in Buni Yadi.”

He said the Muhammadu Buhari International Cargo Airport was completed and commissioned purposely to provide easy access for the transportation of livestock and other agricultural products both within and outside the country.

He added: “We have also purchased 20 new buses to boost inter and intra town and city transportation for the Yobe Transport Corporation. Similarly, over 100 different types of cars were procured and sold out to people at subsidized rate to encourage local commuting. In the area of electrification, 25 villages were electrified while electricity was extended to over 200 different locations.

“We have also rehabilitated and strengthen Damaturu – Potiskum, Potiskum – Gashua, Gashua – Yunusari, Damaturu – Babbangida – Bayamari, Bayamari – Geidam – Bukarti, Bayamari – Yunusari, Potiskum – Kukar Gadu and Maiduwa-Gadaka 33KVA lines. We have also ensured provision of a 24-hour power supply to all the General Hospitals in the State as well as provision of generator sets to some Government establishments.”

He said when the new government came on board, it was discovered that the sector was largely characterized by traditional practices of subsistence farming resulting in continuous low productivity and less profits to farmers. This, he said, was further being undermined by multifaceted factors such as drought, flooding, inadequacy of machinery, lack of capital, weak research and extension system, inadequate inputs and infrastructure issues.

He said: “This therefore, prompted us to organize an Agricultural Summit in 2019 to chart a new course for agricultural transformation to enhance food sufficiency, food security and to make agriculture more profitable. The outcome of the summit culminated in the formation of Steering Committee on Revitalization of Agriculture which in conjunction with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation developed the State Sector Strategic Plan.

“The strategic plan was designed to address inadequacies in the agricultural sector and make it more comprehensive, productive and commercially attractive. Using inputs from the plan, the State has now developed its agricultural policy document which is the first of its kind since the creation of Yobe State. This policy document has since been validated in collaboration with EU-Yobe Public Finance Management (PFM) Project in conjunction with DAI international. The policy document has already been approved by the State Executive Council.”