- Says schools, hospital rehabilitation commences next week
From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
Kebbi State Governo Dr Nasir Idris has awarded the reconstruction of Birnin Kebbi, the state capital city’s roads with the sum of N9.04 billion out to the contractor for execution within the period of 18 months.
Idris, who signed the agreement with Habib Engineering Ltd on behalf of the State Government at Government House, Birnin Kebbi, said that the present administration would give the state capital the befitting status it deserved.
He said: “This state is our state and it is we that are going to develop it by ourselves. We have to turn the state capital into a befitting one we shall all be proud of. I want to employ the company too, Habib Engineering Ltd and the Ministry of Works to abide by the rules and ensure that the agreement we signed was followed and all the works are done according to the expectations.
“We are going to monitor and ensure compliance. We have just started, and in the next two or one weeks, we would be back here and signing a contract for the completion of the secretariat.
“The funds accrue to Kebbi State is for all of us. So, this government, with limited resources available to us, would do justice to all. This kind of road contract will be extended to all three senatorial districts. For now, our responsibility is to ensure that, first and foremost, to give the state capital the name it’s deserved.
“We have already agreed that we would carry everybody along irrespective of their political parties affiliation. Kebbi State as I said, it is a state for all of us.”
Idris who also announced that his administration would commence the rehabilitation of schools and hospitals, insisted that the state could not afford to fail in the two sectors.
According to him, “By next week, God’s willing, we shall start looking at the renovations and rehabilitation of our Schools and Hospitals. Where we felt we should construct the schools, we would construct it. Where schools needed total rehabilitation, we would also do that and provided instructional materials.
“Kebbi State cannot afford to fail in education. Kebbi State cannot afford to fail in providing good health services. Also, we are going to promote agriculture because the state is serving as an agricultural state. Therefore, we cannot toy away with that.”
He added that his administration would consolidate on the immediate past administration legacy of paying workers’ salaries including monthly pensions stressing that he would ensure that under his administration, civil servants, and pensioners were given all they deserved.
Idris added that the state government would mobilize the contractor to the site without prolonging the process for prompt completion.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works and Transport, Alhaji Saad Musa Sakaba, disclosed that the contract total sum of the roads which is estimated to be 15 kilometres was N904,632,907.46k and expected to be completed within 18 months.
In his reaction, the General Manager of Habib Engineering Ltd, Ammar Nouri, who disclosed that the company has been in the state for the past 20 years, said that they would start the execution of the project immediately and promised to complete it within the duration stipulated in the agreement.