The Bauchi state Commissioner of Culture and Tourism, Honourable Ahmed Modibbo has disclosed that the decision taken by the state government to sell some of the animals at the Sumu Wildlife park was not because the state is broke.
The commissioner who was reacting to insinuations from some
people that the decision may not be unconnected with the current Coronaviruscrisis that has caused a serious threat on the global economy revealed that theplan was taken even before the outbreak of the virus.Modibbo who described the insinuations as laughable, maintainedthat “government is not a joke, this is state government and not localgovernment, therefore anybody saying this, is ignorant of the workings of thegovernment”.
He said that the idea came after serious consideration ofthe space in which the animals are housed, adding that the animals have overthe years been multiplying and have overstretched the park and that informsgovernment’s decision to sell some of them.
“Some of these animals are old and some have multipliedin numbers, in such a way that we have to reduce them by selling them out andusing the proceed to add to the IGR of the state, because it is not proper tocontinue to keep those that are too old in the park”, Modibbo explained.
The commissioner, who said that selling some of the animalshave been a normal practice, wondered why people are making an issue out of thedecision.
“I think the reason why some people are complaining isbecause we made our own decision public unlike what was obtainable in theprevious government that does it silently. We are doing our things openlybecause we are determined to run a transparent government”, he said.
The commissioner who informed that government is spending alot of money in taking care of the animals, wondered how people thinkgovernment would realise from the sales of the animals that prompted them toassumed government is broke.
“Can the money sustain even a local government? Peopleshould understand that we are not selling them because the state is going brokedue to Coronavirus crisis. The arrangement has been there even before we camein and I am just implementing a policy that had been on ground since”, heclarified.
The commissioner while hoping that by the time the sale ofthe animals is flagged off, people will patronize the market so that the statewill generate some income out of it, urged the people of the state to continueto be loyal and submissive to the present government which is poised to deliverdividends of democracy to all segments of the state.
On the fumigation exercise that took place in Yankari GameReserve, the commissioner said it was meant to make the place safe for thetourists and to curb the spread of COVID-19.
According to him, “although there was no suspected casethere but the fumigation was done as part of measures to de-escalate the spreadof the virus into the Reserve.
The commissioner who prayed for God’s intervention in endingthe Coronavirus pandemic, said that the disease is real and that anybody disputingthat is not being fair to himself.
