Gombe State Government has approved N20.4 billion for the expansion and dualisation of 18.5-kilometre road in the state capital.
Prof. Abubakar Njodi, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), stated this in Gombe shortly after the end of State Executive Council (SEC) meeting on Monday.
However, the project alongside a bridge project, would gulp resources than the cumulative capital expenditure for critical sectors in the state namely Agriculture, Education and Health in the 2023 budget.
WikkiTimes review of the state’s 2023 budget performance in the first three quarters of the year showed that Ministry of Agriculture spent N2.5b as against proposed capital expenditure of N8.4b.
The review further revealed that Ministries of Education and Health have utilized N6.5b and N9.5b as against budgeted capital expenditure of N14.6b and N15.5b respectively.
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Prof. Njodi said the project would cover Federal Teaching Hospital Junction along Bauchi Road, passing through the Police Headquarters to the Federal College of Education (Technical) along Ashaka Road.
He said the contract has been awarded to the TRIACTA Nigeria Ltd with a completion period of 12 months.
Similar trends in Kano, Bauchi
WikkiTimes observes that some states in northern Nigeria are expending their resources on infrastructural projects more than revamping key sectors like education, health and agriculture.
Recall that Bauchi and Kano States have awarded contracts for flyover projects worth N20b and N27b in their state capitals respectively.
Prof. Njodi also noted that the Council also approved the procurement of 2,500 metric tonnes of fertilisers for distribution to farmers at 50 per cent subsidy for the 2024 cropping season.
“The fertiliser is highly subsidised and the price is pegged at N22,000 per bag as against N45,000 market price.
“And distribution will be flag off later in the month to ensure timely delivery to the farmers,” he said.
Alhaji Usman Kallamu, the Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport, said the SEC also approved emergency repair work and construction of culverts on Dukku – Dokoro Road in Dukku Local Government Area of the state.
“There was a washout and collapses of the existing six-cell box culvert along the road, and the council approved the construction of a two-span bridge in its place at the cost of N1.593 billion, and will be completed in four months,” News Agency of Nigeria quoted him saying.
Also, Mohammed Gadam, the Commissioner for Higher Education, said the SEC approved N587.6 million for construction and provision of essential facilities at Lincoln University, Kumo Campus as part of the agreement signed between the state government and the Malaysian University.
According to him, the gesture is in furtherance of the state government’s commitment towards fulfilling its own part of the bargain as signed in the Memoradum of Understanding (MoU), to fast-track accreditation and commencement of academic activities in the university.
by Usman Babaji
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