Governor Umar Namadi

…counts significant achievements in health, education, other sectors

By Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Dutse

Jigawa state Governor, Mallam Umar A. Namadi has hinted that his administration has completed over 70 per cent of inherited road projects in the state, and settled the debts amounting to over N82 billion, even as new projects are being inaugurated.

Governor Namadi who spoke while giving accounts of his stewardship in the last one year in office as the Governor of Jigawa state, also listed impressive achievements in health, education, agriculture, poverty alleviation, security, human development and empowerment, among other sectors.

According to him: “Over the last twelve months, we have not only continued to implement and complete all ongoing projects but have also initiated new ones across all sectors.

“In the realm of road infrastructure, as of the time we took over the reigns of leadership, there were 26 ongoing road projects covering a total distance of about 340 kilometres across the length and breadth of Jigawa State.

“The total initial cost of all the projects was over N82.03 Billion for which actual payment as at May 29, 2023, was about N32.0 billion -meaning that over 60% of the total cost of all the ongoing road projects was still outstanding either as liabilities or contractual commitments.

“While some of the inherited projects were nearing completion, almost majority were below 30%. Even though the initial contract sum was recently reviewed upward due to the inflationary trend in the economy, I am pleased to inform citizens of Jigawa State that as of today, we have made additional payments of over N25 billion in the execution of the projects. It is also pleasing to report that several of the inherited ongoing projects are now either fully completed or are at an advanced state of completion.”

He further stated that, “with these accomplishments, we have now commenced preparation to embark on new projects including rehabilitation and or asphalt overlay of some existing roads and completely new roads construction projects comprising of both regional and township roads. In this regard, I am pleased to mention that, an Expression of Interest for Technical Pre-qualification of Contractors has already been placed in the National Dailies.”

On economic empowerment and poverty alleviation, Governor Namadi hinted that
accordingly, few days after being sworn-in, “we established the Jigawa State Agency for Economic Empowerment and Youth Employment for which a Law has already been enacted. Subsequent to this, we began to develop and pursue very innovative and well-targeted empowerment programs aimed at job and employment creation and provision of sustainable means of livelihoods
for our youths.

“In its only one year of existence, they Agency has recorded tremendous progress in addressing the issues. As documented by the Agency, over 30 different empowerment and employment programs were implemented with over 73,000 beneficiaries in under 12 months.

“Many of the beneficiaries have acquired skills and received grants leading them to self-employment while many others have become reasonably employable. Prominent among these programs included the recently launched Millionaires Program which empowered 27 Beneficiaries with N10 million seed
capital for Water Supply Equipment and Hand Pumps Operation Enterprises. In addition, the Agency has distributed over N1.0 billion in form of direct business empowerment grants and loans to already existing and new micro, small and medium scale enterprises.

“The Agency has also coordinated the sourcing and disbursement NANO
Business Grant of over N1.4 billon from the Federal Government with almost 30,000 beneficiaries in the State. Talking about youth employment, I am pleased to mention that through the guidance and counselling activities of our Ministry of Special Duties, almost 630 youths from Jigawa State were supported to gain employment into various
military and para-military establishments over the last one year.

“We have also recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bank of Industry leading to the establishment of its Jigawa State Branch. The MoU has established a revolving matching-fund scheme worth N6 billion of which over 60% was
provided by the State Government solely dedicated to boosting Small, Medium and Large-Scale Enterprises in Jigawa State.

“The Scheme is open to all eligible business enterprises operating within Jigawa State with cost of capital below what is obtainable in conventional money deposit banks. Re-examining Targeting Methodologies in Government Programs

“Over the years, successive administrations in the State have enacted policies and implemented programs aimed at poverty reduction and improvements in people’s
socioeconomic living conditions. Despite the acclaimed success stories of most of the program, National Statistics have continued to portray the State as having one of the highest poverty and vulnerability in the Country.

“While this is disputable, we have also realised that often times, inappropriate targeting of beneficiaries of poverty alleviation and empowerment programs and other malpractices have limited the scope and impacts of such programs. Accordingly, over the last one year, we have tried to correct this anomaly ensuring that the benefits of government programs reach the actual intended beneficiaries who are largely the poor and vulnerable segments of the population. Otherwise, the scope and impact of billions of Naira of public monies expended on such programs will continue to be limited.

“Government Programs such as the J-CARES, J-TEACH, J-HEALTH, the Cluster-
Farming Program and almost all the Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation Programs have suffered from the malaise of poor targeting of beneficiaries and outright
misappropriation in some of the programs. From the measures we have started instituting, I should say I am now pleased with the results we are starting to see.

“For instance, we have reviewed the targeting methodology of a number of ongoing social protection programs such as the JCARES Program which allows thousands of eligible beneficiaries to benefit from, unlike in the fast when partaking in such programs
depends on whom someone knows or is connected with. The changed approach in the implementation of the multi-million Naira JCARES Program has now made it possible for
thousands of individuals in poor and vulnerable houses and farmer cooperative groups in hard-to-reach remote communities to benefit from the Program. We are also fine-
tuning all our agricultural programs to ensure that only real farmers and people active in the agricultural value chain are targeted.”

On agriculture, Governor Namadi said his administration’s 12-point Agenda which was integrated into the State Development Plan, places high premium on Food and Nutrition Security, Economic Diversification, Job Creation, and Private Sector Development.

According to him, “our agricultural investment programs as
would be derived from the New Policy, would be linked to these objectives. We believe that the new Policy will revolutionise and transform the agricultural sector as the
primary platform for sustainable socioeconomic development of our State.

“Even as we await the validation of the new policy, we have over the last one year implemented initiatives and forge alliances that would facilitate its effective implementation. Some of
these include: Injection of additional capital amounting to N5 billion into the State Agricultural Supply Company with a view to enabling the company to effectively perform its primary responsibility of ensuring timely access to the right agricultural inputs to
the teeming farmers in Jigawa State
Support to ongoing Wheat and Rice production Programs under which we
expended billions in direct agriculture subsidies to farmers.

“This involved the procurement and sale of 9,200 tonnes of fertilizer with improved varieties of
wheat and rice seed and assorted pesticides and herbicides.
iii. Procurement of sixty (60) Tractors and ten (10) Combine Harvesters to promote agricultural mechanization and large scale agriculture. Related to this was the purchase of fifty each of rice processing mill, destoners and trasher machines.”

Others include active participation in the National Wheat Program initiated by the Federal Government. Jigawa State provided up to 40,000 out of the 120,000 hectares required in the implementation of the National Wheat Program with additional 15,000 hectares supported by the State Government. In addition, we provided all the needed extension service to the over 50,000 farmers that participated in the programs with additional absorption of 75% subsidies on inputs supplied to the farmers.

He further stated that: “I am also pleased to inform citizens of Jigawa State that we have in the last six
month, signed various partnership agreements and Memorandums of Understandings on the implementation of priority agricultural programmes including with the Federal Government, African Development Bank and the World Bank.

“These included the National Wheat Development Program, a Livestock Productivity and Resilience Project, and the Development of Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones in the State. In the same vein, we have renewed the State’s Expression of Interest to the Federal Government to implement an Agro-Processing Productivity Enhancement & Livelihoods
Improvement Support Project and an Integrated Agricultural Enterprise Development Project.

“These are to be respectively supported by World Bank and the Islamic
Development Bank. We believe implementation of all these projects will lead to the much-needed agricultural transformation in line with the long-term vision of the State.”

Governor Namadi stated that for the education sector, it was revealed that the most critical challenge is dearth
for teachers in the right mix of quality and quantity particularly at the basic and post basic levels as well as the unacceptably high level of out-of-school children. We have on records, schools with only one or two teachers. Our first priority was therefore to ensure that all our basic and post-basic schools are staffed with adequate, qualified and
trained teachers.

Over the last one year, “we have deployed over 3,570 teachers to our senior secondary schools including the recruited JTEACH Graduates, Permanent & Pensionable Appointments for the newly established Mega Secondary Schools, and the
employment of about 150 First Class Degree Graduates.

“These have resulted in an increase of over 58% in the number of qualified teachers in our Senior Secondary
Schools within 12-Months leading to significant improvements in the general pupil-teacher ratio which is now within acceptable standards.

“At the basic levels, we have converted 3,233 out of the 4,000 J-TEACH Teachers to Permanent and Pensionable position. Arrangements are also underway for the recruitment of another set of 3,000 J-TEACH for which the recruitment portal is presently live with over 17,000 applicants and still counting.

“These, we believe will go
a long way in addressing the massive gaps in the number and quality of teachers in the basic schools. To address the huge number of out-of-school children, we have commenced the construction of three Mega Tsangaya Integrated Schools which will largely enrol our children not opportune to be in the conventional primary schools.

“The curriculum of the Tsangaya Schools is designed to provide foundational learning, skill acquisition and qur’anic/Islamic education for the children. They will also have adequate
boarding facilities for all the pupils, teachers, and other support staff.”

According to him, one of the priority areas in our 12-Point Agenda is levering on the power of Information and Communication Technology to reposition the State’s Economy. It was in this regard that we go into partnership with National Information Technology
Development Agency (NITDA) to promote this Agenda. As a logical starting point, we have planned to vigorously deepen access to ICT and Digital Economy Education in our educational system for which we launched the J-COMPETE Program in January this year.

He said the Programs is about Creating Opportunity for Mastery, Proficiency, Excellence and Technological Empowerment” for teachers and students. This we consider as a significant milestone in our commitment to providing a practical application of digital and advanced technology in our 21st century’s educational journey which will facilitate the attainment of our objective of creating a Digital Economy in the State.”

Governor said his administration’ has been doing a lot to reposition the healthcare delivery system, adding that, “we have also undertaken a gap
analysis in the performance of all our health facilities.

“As of May 2023, there were 38 ongoing projects worth over N17.2 billion at various stages of completion. These largely included the provision of infrastructure, supply of medical equipments and consultancies in respect of the specialist hospitals in Hadejia and Kazaure, Gumel Orthopaedic Hospitals, establishment of new general hospitals and upgrading of other primary and secondary healthcare facilities. Total payments on these were reported to be almost N12.1 billion.

“Since taking over, we have assiduously worked to complete all the projects with additional payments of about N1.3 billion. Further to this, we have also undertaken additional projects worth about N1.4 billion involving solar and conventional power supply in General Hospitals, Construction of Midwives Quarters in Primary Health Centres and several other projects.

“Notwithstanding, our comprehensive documentation of the existing gaps for the attainment of our vision in the health sector indicated that much still needed to be done both in terms of structures, facilities and human resources. Much still needs to be done to accomplish the State vision of at least one truly functional Basic Health Clinic per Political Ward, one General Hospital for each State Constituency and a Specialist Hospital for each Senatorial Zone. I have already given matching orders to the Ministry of Health to ensure that all the Specialist Hospitals and other upgraded Secondary facilities are commissioned and made fully functional before the end of the year.

“To expand access to qualitative healthcare for the citizens, I am pleased to announce that a Health Equity Fund was established which has already been credited with a seed funding of N1.0 billion.

“Part of the Equity Funds will be used to provide social health insurance cover to over 140,000 persons in the first instance. Accordingly, all is now set to commence enrolment of 500 eligible persons from each of the 287 wards in the State. This will cover among others, children under 5, pregnant women, aged persons in poor households, and people living with sickle cell anaemia or HIV aides.”

He added that: “Our commitments in the area of social protection is to expand the scope and coverage among vulnerable segments of our population across all stages in the life cycle.

“It is in line with this that we recently conducted a comprehensive census of all orphans and orphanages in Jigawa State as well as that of people living with disabilities and aged persons living in vulnerable households. We hope to complete the design of appropriate Social Protection Programs for the Orphans and Aged Persons with a view to commencing their implementation before the end of the year. As most of us are aware, the ongoing social security program for the disabled which was started over 16 years ago, has suffered significant attrition in the number of beneficiaries due to non-replacements for exited beneficiaries due to deaths. In fact, the Social Security Program for People with Disabilities faces the risk of extinction despite being established by a Law.

“In line with our commitment to expand coverage of social protection programs in the State, let me use this occasion to announce our resolve to resuscitate this Program by increasing the benefit package of the Social Security amount from N7,000 to N10,000 monthly with effect from June 2024. In addition, while we will immediately commence new enrolment to register more eligible beneficiaries based on the recently conducted census. I have also approved a review of the benefit package to include periodic targeted specials scholarships and skill acquisition programs for the children and Water and Sanitation.”

He revealed that in the last one year, Jigawa state government has distributed tonnes of assorted food items largely comprising of rice, maize and spaghetti across all the nooks and crannies of the 287 wards in the State for which it was estimated over 1.5 million individuals have benefitted from. This comprises of about 72,000 bags of rice, 13,500 bags of Maize and about 37,000 Cartons of Spaghetti.

This was in addition to the distribution of N10,000 direct Cash Palliatives to 108,000 beneficiaries across our 27 Local Government Areas. Over N2.3 billion was also expended in the Ramadan Iftar Program which was implemented in 609 Centres across
the State with over 180,000 people partaking daily in the Iftar Program.
Economic Empowerment and Youth Employment.”