From SA’ADATU MAINA and HASSAN YELWA KAFAJE, Damaturu
Dateline WEDNESDAY 28/08/2019
His Excellency Governor Mai Mala Buni Attends Special Prayers for Peace in Yobe, Nigeria
Yobe State, created out of old Borno on the 28th of August 1991 attended the age of 28 and the state governor, Alhaji Mai Mala Buni, accompanied by his deputy Alhaji Idi Barde Gubana, Speaker of the State Assembly Rt Hon Ahmed Lawan Mirwa and other senior functionaries of the State Government joined Islamic Clerics and Qur’an reciters at the Yobe Mosque and Islamic Centre on the state’s birthday for the closing of a three day special prayer session offered for peace and progress in the state and the country in general.
Over the last three days, the Holy Qur’an was recited 110 times by scholars from all the 17 local government areas of the State.
At the closing of the special prayers, supplications were made by the Imam Idayni (Imam of both the two eids) of Damaturu, Sheikh Goni Daudu and others for improved security and for Almighty Allah (SWT) to crown the efforts of the government with success in moving the state forward.
While praying to Almighty Allah to accept the recitations and invocations made, Governor Buni, in a brief remark, assured that special prayer sessions will be held periodically to seek for the support of the Almighty to restore security and improve the people’s living conditions.
Approves Implementation of Education Committee Report
In his inaugural address on the 29th of May, 2019, the governor had declared a State of Emergency in Primary and Secondary Education in the state and he followed that up by hosting an Education Summit on the 1st of July following which a Technical Committee was set up under the chairmanship of Professor Malah Daura, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri.
Not done with that, the governor went on to provide Foreign Scholarships for 500 undergraduate and 200 post graduate students.
Just before he left for Hajj, the governor received the report of the Technical Committee primarily set up to revitalize Basic and Secondary Education in the State and after studying it, has now approved for its implementation.
While the full recommendations of the Committee will be implemented over time through various education sector agencies in coordination with the office of the Secretary to the State Government, His Excellency Governor Buni has approved that the following be undertaken immediately:
- A manpower audit to screen all teaching staff across the state, authenticate their certificates and the forms or types of formal training they had gone through.
- Conduct of basic, general and professional competency tests on teachers in the state.
- Identification of teachers who need training, re-training or re-assigning to other sectors as appropriate and how to fill in any gaps that may arise.
- Identification of additional qualified teachers for recruitment at all levels of the school system.
- Establishment of one model school for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in each of the three senatorial districts of the state. Three existing schools will be converted for this purpose and a steering committee that has already been set up will work to formalise arrangements for conversion of the schools and the conduct of needs assessment to meet immediate take off requirements.
The schools earmarked for STEM education are Government Secondary School Damaturu (Zone A), Government Science and Technical College Potiskum (Zone B) and Government Science and Technical College Nguru (Zone C).
Flags Off Construction of Buni-Yadi Township Roads
Again coming on the same day, the governor flagged off the construction of four kilometres of township roads in Buni-Yadi Town, one of the hardest hit areas by the Boko Haram insurgency in the state.
The roads will have an eight-kilometre long drainage line and will be built through direct labour by the Ministry of Works, Transport and Energy at the total cost of N673,455,140.00.
In his speech at the flagging off ceremony, the governor said that the township road project is a fulfillment of one of the promises that he made during the electioneering campaign and at his inauguration.
“I have made policy statements that I would consolidate on the execution of road projects to open up more communities…and build rural feeder roads to ease the movement of agricultural produce, livestock and other services to enhance socio-economic development”, he said.
Governor Buni urged the beneficiary community to cooperate with the construction team from the Ministry of Works, Transport and Energy and to “claim the ownership of the project from inception to completion and to the maintenance of the drainages”.
The governor also disclosed that the next tranche of township roads will be built in Babbangida and Damagum towns, headquarters of Tarmuwa and Fune local governments respectively.
“We also intend to execute some other road projects in phases within the limits of resources at the disposal of the government”, he said.
…Directs for Immediate Renovation of General Hospital
Governor Buni also visited the Buni-Yadi General Hospital where reconstruction work was started by the Victim Support Fund (VSF) but stopped before completion.
The governor directed the acting Secretary to the State Government, Baba Malam Wali, to ensure that all processes needed for the complete renovation of the hospital are started.
“As peace steadily returns to this area and people return to their communities, it is very vital they have good healthcare services and other basic social services. I learnt that the VSF has started work but we don’t know why the work stopped. I therefore direct the SSG to ensure that all the processes and contacts are done and the hospital is renovated without any delays”, the governor said.
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