By Abubakar Muhammad (9NEWS NIGERIA, NORTHEAST)
Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni has disclosed the completion and rehabilitation of many road projects across the state.
Some of these roads were destroyed by flooding incidents while others are part of the state government massive road projects.
Buni said this during the Executive Council meeting on Wednesday in Damaturu.
According to a statement by the state commissioner of Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Abdullahi Bego, some of the rehabilitated projects are 100% completed while others are still under repair.
He however noted that the affected roads that cut off all local government areas by last year’s flood, especially in the northern part of the state, have been repaired.
The roads include, Damaturu-Buni Yadi road at Gujba, Damaturu-Bayamari at Kariyari and Jumbam.
Others are Potiskum-Gashu’a road at Tarajim and Gada towns, Bayamari-Yunusari road and Geidam-Bukarti road at Mazagum.
Those under rehabilitation are Yunusari-Yusufari road, Jajimaji-Karasuwa road and Yunusari-Kafiya-Kanamma road junction.
As part of his government massive road projects across the state, the governor highlighted some major completed roads, including Karasuwa-Galu to Gashu’a main road, Chumbusko-Tagali road, and Danchuwa-Garin Bingel road.
While the first phase of Fika-Maluri road is completed, work is still ongoing on the second.
Another incomplete major roads are from Potiskum to Ngojin and from Fadawa to Daya in Fika Local Government area.
Others are Kukuri-Chukuriwa-Dawasa, Gashu’a-Masaba, Nguru-Balanguwa, and the Danchuwa-Jajere.
Balanguwa-Kumaganam road, which is part of the Trans-Saharan road network is also under construction, and according to Yobe government, it is currently at 60% completion stage.
On township roads, the government said it has constructed road networks in Nguru, Jajimaji, Gashu’a, Potiskum, Damagum, Damaturu, Buni-Yadi, Babban Gida, and Geidam in it’s first phase.
In the second phase, it says only Nguru township roads are 100% completed, while others in Potiskum and Damaturu are at 80% completion stage.
In Geidam, Gashua, Fika, Buni-Yadi and Yunusari, several township roads are also under construction.
Other notable projects discussed in the meeting are the completion and construction of markets, factories among other things.
In healthcare, the governor noted that they received the delivery of healthcare equipments to the state donated by World Medical Relief in the United States.
These equipments include hospital beds, infusion pumps, patient monitors, surgical instruments and tools, defibrillators, fetal monitors and ventilators, amongst others.
The governor also briefed the meeting on the challenges they faced on foreign scholarships.
He said the funding of students sent to India for undergraduate studies, many of whom graduated last year, was particularly challenging due to Forex issues, noting that will determination and resilience, the government was able to overcome it.
“We remained steadfast. We remained committed to providing them education. Bringing them back home due to the forex situation would have been a disaster. As you know, some of them were orphans. All of them behaved well during their stay and never engaged in any untoward or shameful activity as attested to by the Nigerian embassy in India,” he said.
Bego’s statement also disclosed his principal’s plan to embark on a major modernization initiative of the state capital, Damaturu this year.
In his remarks, Buni thanked members of the council for the success they recorded with regards to the implementation of the 2024 budget.
He said the efforts placed them among the best performing states in the country.
