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Ishola Michael
The Chairman of Gombe State Unity and Development Mandate Forum (GSUDMF), Alhaji Salihu Magaji has commended the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC), Alhaji Ibrahim Goni Alkali for the laudable projects executed in the State.
Salisu Magaji in the company of many stakeholders stated this today in Gombe when he interacted with newsmen saying that when one examined the developmental and humanitarian projects carried out by the Commission in Gombe State, the NEDC must be commended.
He said that it intervened in various aspects of the state, particularly in the areas of healthcare, agriculture, education, infrastructural development and human empowerment saying, “NEDC carried out various interventions with zeal patriotic, passion and commitment to bring succour to the people”
He further said that the Commission under the watch of Goni Alkali came up with a series of activities to revamp hospitals, and schools and empower farmers in Gombe State after conducting a needs assessment of all the 11 local governments to know the needs and aspirations of the citizens.
Salisu Magaji also said that the Commission provided solar-powered lights at the most important units of the Gombe Specialists Hospital to enhance efficiency in service delivery and ensure that patients receive better attention.
“These units which need constant electricity light to operate at the optimal levels, these include, Administration block, Emergency, Gynae and Paediatric wards, all were provided with solar light by the NEDC.”
“The NEDC also provided a 500 KVA generator to the Federal Teaching Hospital in the state even as it is currently constructing a befitting Trauma Centre at the facility. In addition to that, it renovated many of the dilapidated primary health care centres up to standard especially those in Nafada, Shongom and Funakaye local government areas,” he said.
He also said that “the NEDC purchased 2,000 doses of anti-venom drugs and donated to same to the Snake Bite Hospital in Kaltungo local government. It should be noted that people all over the nation and beyond come to the hospital for treatment of persons bitten by snakes.”
“Which is helping victims of snake bites from Gombe and neighbouring states, because of its high cost which is beyond the reach of the common man, one dose of the anti-venom drug is being sold at the hospital at the cost of N45,000. But with the donation of the drugs by the NEDC, patients now get it free of charge, and to crown it all, Alkali is proposing to make the Kaltungo Snake Bite Hospital a research centre that will be producing anti-venom medicines to cater for the teeming victims of snake bites who troop to it from many places,” Salisu Magaji said
He added that in agriculture, the NEDC built farm centres in four local governments of Kwami, Dukku, Billiri and Balanga saying that, inside the farm centres, there are stores, tractors, and fertilizer for sale or lease to farmers.
According to him, “Besides, extension workers are available there to attend to farmers who experience some problems with their plants or need professional advice, it will also enable farmers, particularly those in rural areas to have access to farm inputs like fertilizer without coming to the state capital to purchase. But at the centres, they can get everything they require including tractors and extension services”.
Salisu Magaji then said that “NEDC established six nursery centres for the production of seedlings in Gombe, Kwami, Nafada, Kaltungo and Funakaye local government areas as part of measures to encourage tree planting and tackle erosion which is a serious problem in the state.
He also said that the NEDC under Goni Alkali has recorded successes in the area of education, building 480 rooms hostel for students as its support in the three mega schools built by the Commission in the three senatorial zones of the state.
It also built six laboratories, and 16 classrooms in each of the schools and took care of the fencing, he is constructing a one-kilometre road each in the mega schools.
The NEDC further constructed one block of three classrooms in each of the 11 local governments of the state, awarded contracts for the construction of the Science and Arts Complex at the Federal University Kashere, a Hostel for medical students of Gombe State University, a library for State Polytechnic in Bajoga and some classes at the College of Legal Studies in Nafada.
According to him, contracts were also awarded by for the provision of solar lights at the Federal College of Education, Gombe, Clinics at the College of Education Billiri and the Entrepreneurship Education and Development (EED) Centre at the College of Horticulture, Dadin Kowa.
“It is building three mega Schools in Gombe State one in each senatorial District. The Commission is currently constructing 500 houses for the less privileged people with the first phase of 250 houses ongoing,” he stressed.
The project which is being done across the region is meant to shut down Internally Displaced Person Camps and reintegrate them into society.
Likewise, a lot of humanitarian programmes were carried out by the commission in parts of the state which included training of youths and women on skills acquisition, assistance was given to 1, 000 victims of recent floods in Bojude where relief material was shared with them.
Also, 1, 500 victims of the flood in Nafada local government were supported with Zinc, wood and nails to mend their destructed houses.
Victims of the recent communal crisis in Billiri and Balanga local governments, victims were assisted with food items, clothes and soap by the Commission to show them empathy and love in their trying period.
The Chairman said that because of the numerous projects executed by the Commission in Gombe State, “we are appealing to our Emirs and Chiefs to give a collective traditional title to Goni Alkali because of the numerous achievements and projects sites in their domain.”
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