Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya chaired the Gombe State Executive Council meeting where various decisions were made. One of the approved decisions is the allocation of N2,837,037,000.00 for the procurement of 5,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer for the 2023 farming season. The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Meshach Audu Lauco, announced that the government intends to sell the fertilizer to farmers at a subsidized price. The fertilizer is identified as NPK 20-10-10, an upgraded version of the NPK 15-15 distributed the previous year. It has already been supplied to the state and is awaiting blending by TAK Agro, the company responsible for managing the state-owned fertilizer blending plant.
Regarding subsidy details, the governor will disclose them during the official launch of the fertilizer distribution, scheduled to take place between June 1st and June 29th this year. Additionally, the State Executive Council approved the sum of N1,805,052,075.52k for compensating property owners affected by road construction in Kaltungo, Bajoga, Gombe, Tumfure, and Ashaka Townships. The Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Usman Jafun Biri, stated that the compensation would cover private properties as well as public utilities such as electricity, water, and other amenities. He advised landowners to seek approval from the authorities before constructing structures, emphasizing that the funds allocated for compensation could be utilized to build more roads for the benefit of the people.
During the meeting, the Commissioner of Health, Dr. Habu Dahiru, mentioned that the Executive Council approved an increase in the contract sum for the construction of the School of Nursing and Midwifery. The contract sum was revised from One Billion, Fifty Million Naira to Five Hundred and Twenty Three Million, Three Hundred and Eighteen Thousand, Five Hundred and Sixty Six Naira due to the significant rise in construction material prices in both local and international markets.
The Commissioner of Works, Engr Abubakar Bappah, provided an overview of road projects in the state, stating that the current administration has awarded several road projects over the past four years. Out of 19 yet-to-be-started road projects inherited from the previous administration, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has completed 11, with 5 projects currently in progress. In addition, approximately 60 kilometers of roads have been constructed in each of the 11 Local Government Areas, and the government is actively engaged in repairing and maintaining washaways and constructing bridges to connect hard-to-reach communities across the state.
