Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal has urged residents to intensify prayers for peace and stability in Nigeria as the country celebrates 64 years of Independence.
Zamfara State was among the six states created by the late General Sani Abacha regime on October 1, 1996.
Governor Lawal, in a goodwill message issued on Tuesday by his spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris, said 1st October is a special day for reflecting on the struggles and sacrifices of the founding fathers who fought for Nigeria’s freedom, unity, and prosperity.
He added that for Zamfara State, the occasion presents a cause for dual celebration, “as we are equally commemorating the 28th anniversary of the creation of our dear State.”
The statement reads in part: “This moment calls for sober reflection on the plight of Zamfara State, and by extension, the entire region, which has long been overwhelmed by unprecedented challenges of insecurity, health and education sectors, food crises, and infrastructural decay.
“Today presents us the opportunity to reflect on what we as an administration are doing to change the narrative.
“Within one year of our administration, the State has experienced remarkable transformation and is on the path to growth and development.
It said, the State is making significant strides in security, agriculture and food security, health, education sectors, infrastructure, and public service reform, among others, and all these are being achieved despite the limited resources accruing to the state. The highlights of some of the achievements are in line with the administration rescue agenda so far recorded.
“In the area of security, we established, trained, and equipped the Community Protection Guards, CPGs, formed the Security Trust Fund, STF, provided monthly financial grants or assistance to complement the efforts of conventional security agencies, and eradicated political thuggery and its attendant consequences.
“On education, we declared a state of emergency in the sector; negotiated the settlement of outstanding WAEC and NECO exam fees, amounting to a cumulative sum of N3.4 billion; massively reconstructed, rehabilitated, and furnished primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions across the 14 Local Government Areas of the State; and settled counterpart funds to facilitate full access to required support from development partners. The Governor said his administration also declared a state of emergency in the health sector, introduced free medical outreach programs and provided essential drugs to vulnerable groups, and rehabilitated and furnished health institutions in the state; revitalised basic healthcare provision and settled counterpart funds for donor interventions as well as ongoing expansion of Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital which it hopes to upgrade to a Teaching Hospital for Zamfara State University.
“To boost agriculture in Zamfara, my government provided fertilizers and other agricultural inputs for rain-fed agriculture and dry-season farming; we renovated, furnished, and upgraded the College of Agriculture and Technology, Bakura.
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“We established the Directorate for Infrastructure and Urban Renewal to confront decay and poor infrastructure aggressively; we commenced the construction and ongoing works at Zamfara International Airport; ongoing dualisation of Tsohuwar Kasuwa Junction – Tankin Ruwa; We commissioned the UBA Intersection – Bello Bara’u Intersection; commissioned Bello Bara’u Intersection – Nasiha Pharmacy Road; commissioned UBA Intersection – Government House Road; commissioned Bello Bara’u Intersection – Government House Road; commissioned Government House Junction – Lalan Roundabout Road.
The administration also completed Dalha Bungudu Junction – Birnin Ruwa Junction Road; ongoing construction of Lalan Roundabout-Investment House Intersection; reconstruction of Investment House; relocation and construction of a brand-new Modern Park in Gusau; construction of Rawayya, Furfuri, and Kurya Madaro Roads; construction of Gusau – Dansadau 86 KM Road; construction and upgrading of Palaces of Traditional Rulers in Anka, Tsafe, Zurmi, Kaura-Namoda in the first instance.
For worker’s welfare, the administration settled salary, pension, and gratuity arrears to civil servants and retirees; it successfully rationalized Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, MDAs for improved service delivery; implementation of N30,000.00 minimum wage for civil servants in both the State and the 14 Local Government Councils; prompt payment of monthly salaries and pensions to civil servants and retirees; provision of welfare packages such as palliatives, as well as 13 Month and Sallah bonuses, which is unprecedented; ongoing renovation of J.B. Yakubu Secretariat Complex and other government offices and provision of office equipment and machinery.
For Ebonyi State in South-East Nigeria, the residents are also having double celebration as they mark the country’s 64th Independence day anniversary, and 28th commemoration of the creation of the State.
In the midst of the euphoria, they are calling on the President Bola Tinubu administration to re-evaluate its economic policies and programmes that have caused high inflationary rates and unfriendly environment for small and medium scale businesses to thrive.
Those who spoke to AIT.live in Abakaliki commended the foresight of the founding fathers of Ebonyi State, who made the creation possible and brought infrastructural and socio-economic development to the people.
Ebonyi State metropolitan city of Abakaliki remained calm and peaceful all day on Tuesday as Nigerians celebrated the 64th Independence Day anniversary, despite earlier threats of a nationwide hunger and #EndBadGovernance protests by some groups.
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, is promising that his administration would construct no fewer than 1,000 affordable housing units across the eight local government areas of the state and also provide access to potable water within Yenagoa, the state capital, and environs in his second term in office.
Governor Diri gave the assurance this Tuesday in a state broadcast to commemorate the 28 years of the state’s creation and Nigeria’s 64th Independence Day.
The Governor says Bayelsa State has come a long way since its creation and it is on the path of progress. He thanks the founding fathers for their sacrifices which paved way for development.
Diri says his administration in the past four years has recorded appreciable strides, in security, sports, education, healthcare, infrastructure, human capacity building, among others.
He expresses commitment to pursue development issues as well as address challenges of pollution, flooding, and oil spillage that had plagued the state.
Bayelsa State was created on October 1, 1996 by General Sani Abacha.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
