NGGTour: We are debt free, Kebbi State Gov., Dakingari declares, says projects are funded with IGR and Federal Allocation.

[FMINigeria]

                        Though the State is listed among the four with the least allocation from the Federation Account alongside Nasarawa, Gombe and Ebonyi States, Governor Sa'idu Usman of Kebbi State has said that his administration is not indebted to any bank or organization either within or outside the shores of Nigeria since it came into office in 2007.

Speaking during the inspection of the  Argungu Bypass with members of the National Good Governance Tour led by the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku on Thursday as the Tour of the state begins, the Governor said the projects to be inspected in the state were executed from 2007 to date.

He said all projects in Kebbi are well planned for and executed. According to the Governor four committees were initially set up to coordinate the various programmes and projects of the state government. "The committee on Education which was headed by Prof. Attahiru Jega the present Chairman of INEC presented a blue print on education and we are following it religiously. The second committee which is that of health also has a blue print as well as those of agriculture and economy", he informed.

Speaking further, the Kebbi Governor said "The road you are standing on is a local government road. In 2010 and 2011 we gave each local government 25 kilometers of roads" adding that the Argungu bypass spans 11km noting that it is not a state project but that of a local government.

He also said the Kebbi State Government has built over 200 schools explaining that all the day schools have been upgraded to boarding schools.

In his remarks, Mr. Maku thanked the Governor for the reception accorded the NGGT team on arrival in Kebbi.

The Minister told the Governor that: "we are here to access the progress democracy has made in Kebbi State particularly between 2007 and now. Democracy as your excellency is fully aware is different from other forms of government. It is a system of government in which people are elected by the people based on promises made to them and the people therefore choose us based on a contract based on our developmental programmes and initiatives.

Speaking on peace and security, the Minister of Information said "you know particularly in this part of the region now which has been known for peace since the inception of Nigeria we now have our own challenges. And you cannot have any progress unless there is peace and security. It is our own priority. Investing in security, organising our communities to secure themselves and working with other agencies to give people an atmosphere for national development is our number one priority for democracy. We will also see what the Federal Government is doing because the Federal Government is a service provider to states, we do not have different citizens from those in the states", Maku pointed out.

Briefing the NGGT team earlier on the various sectoral developments in the state, the Chairman of the Kebbi State NGGT Organizing Committee, Alh. Mansur Shehu informed that in the area of Education the government has constructed 200 new schools;  upgraded 66 secondary schools; rehabilitated 10 secondary schools as well as sponsored students for studies in medicine India and Sudan.

On water supply, Alh. Shehu said 1,480 hand pumps have been completed while work on 640 hand pumps are ongoing. Also completed are 496 motorised boreholes, 80 solar powered boreholes in addition to 306 kilometers of water pipes network and 305 rehabilitated water schemes. He equally stated that 18 earth dams have been constructed while 6 have been rehabilitated adding that extension and rehabilitation of 4 major urban water schemes have been executed in Kebbi, Argungu, Yauri and Zuru.

Other projects listed include the electrification of 752 villages and towns which have been connected to the National Grid; ongoing electrification of 50 villages and the purchase of 350 transformers to replaced burnt ones.

On road infrastructure the Committee Chairman said over 1,420 kilometers of roads have been constructed and rehabilitated since the inception of the Governor Sa'idu Dakingari administration in the state. Also, 50 major bridges have been constructed in addition to culverts/drainages.

In health, 13 new general hospitals have been built and 200 bed ultra modern hospitals. Alh. Shehu further informed that Primary Healthcare Centres have been upgraded to General Hospitals across the state.

He disclosed that over 1.5billion naira has been spent from 2007 to date on the procurement of irrigation water pumps for free distribution to farmers to encourage dry season farming.

The Committee Chairman however insisted that in making a comparitive assessment of states in terms of development recorded factors such as allocation received by states from the Federation Account; state level of indebtedness and quality and quantity of projects executed should be considered.

"It is only then that we will be able to know which states are actually developing in the true sense of the word. It is on record that Kebbi State has never failed to pay workers' salaries with or without FAAC (Federal Account Allocation Committee) Monthly Allocation", Shehu said.

Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria