By Najib Sani, Bauchi
Bauchi state government has said that it signed an agreement with Family Home Fund for the construction of 2, 500 housing units worth N15 billion which will be distributed to citizens across the state.
The State Deputy Governor, Baba Tela disclosed this in a live broadcast on the occasion of Nigeria’s 59th Independence anniversary where he added that the state government also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an American Investor for the establishment of cement factory in the state worth $864m, with over $200m in social corporate responsibility coming to Bauchi.
Baba Tela said the state government in its efforts to provide infrastructural facilities to the people of the state similarly signed an MoU with Kuwait Fund worth $200 million.
He also told the people of the state that the government in its drive to boost economic activities signed a memorandum of understanding for the execution of Kujuru Solar Power Project worth $100 million.
He recalled that the PDP administration in the state has since its inception in May this year injected a whooping sum of N10.8 billion for the provision of infrastructural facilities right from primary, secondary, formal and tertiary institutions.
“In the area of health, government has declared a state of emergency in the sector in order to improve on service delivery. We have also paid all counterpart funds to the Bill and Malinda Gates, and other Development Partners”, Tela said.
Moreso, said the deputy governor, the state government has issued a standing order to all the twenty Local Government Councils in the state to contribute 1% of their internally generated revenue to the Bauchi State Healthcare Trust Fund.
Baba Tela explained that it is the resolve of the state government to rehabilitate, renovate and equip all the state health institutions within the meagre resources available to it.
He further recalled that the government in the bid to open up accessibility within the state and boost economic activities, has within the last three months awarded contracts for the construction of over 92.6 kms of roads across the state at a cost of N17.3 billion with 50% downpayment to the contractors.
Tela, on behalf of his boss, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, stated that the government in the same token has launched the state new agricultural policy which, he argued, will take Bauchi state to the promise land.
On youth empowerment, he said, government has distributed 3, 085 sprayers to train youths across the 323 wards on contract spray, with over 1, 000 youth already graduated in non-graduate components of skills acquisition.
