Gombe Lawmaker Commissions Projects, Empowers Constituents Through Training

The Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Dr. Ali Isa JC, has commissioned several development projects in Billiri Local Government Area, Gombe State.

The commissioned projects includes: classroom blocks, solar-powered boreholes, and mini-stores.

Specifically, Dr. Isa-JC donated a block of two classrooms and an office to three schools in Amtawalam, Powishi Shoble and Sansani, to augment the few classrooms provided for students.

As the representative for Balanga/Billiri in the House of Representatives, Dr. Isa has also facilitated the training of over 600 women, youths, and men in dry-season farming, women’s entrepreneurship in small and medium-scale businesses, and content creation.

The trainees are set to receive starter packs on Tuesday in Cham, Balanga Local Government Area which will equip them to apply their skills and earn a livelihood.

While flagging off the training programme in Billiri, Dr. Isa-JC emphasized that the youth would be trained and equipped with the skills to use digital media for businesses, as well as to inform the public about developments in the constituency, rather than engaging in online abuse.

“We have students and young people active on social media, and we want them to learn from their elders. The days of using social media for ridicule and insults are over. We are not encouraging disrespect or abuse, but if you want to engage on social media, focus on showcasing progress and development in the area—like the classrooms we have built. Highlight the youths we have empowered to become productive members of society,” said Dr. Isa-JC.

According to him, the programme will also train and empower ten individuals from each of the twenty wards in his constituency in both dry-season farming and social media reporting.

Participants in the dry-season farming programme will receive essential resources, including pumping machines, knapsack sprayers, water pipes, fertilizers, and solar-powered systems for water pumps. Additionally, they will be provided with take-off grants and other necessary items after completing their training.

 

Social media training 

The social media team also underwent training in reporting skills and photo news coverage.

They will also receive the necessary tools to ensure effective documentation and dissemination of activities across the constituency.

As part of these initiatives, the wife of Dr Isa JC, Mrs. Sa’adatu Ali Isa JC, was on ground to spearhead the empowerment programme of the women.

Overall, Dr. Is-JC urged the digital content creators to leverage the tools provided to them for income-generating activities, thus helping them build sustainable livelihoods.

He, however, issued a warning that tracking devices had been installed on the equipment to be distributed and that anyone caught selling them would forfeit the items, which would then be reassigned to those who would use them appropriately.

The Minority Whip also disclosed that those that make good use of the items would have their investments further increased.

 

Irrigation farming 

Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Employment Committee, Mr. Obel Yaji, said the beneficiaries of the irrigation farming programme would receive training in modern irrigation techniques to enhance crop yields and that they would be equipped with generators and pumping machines to help them apply their newfound knowledge effectively.

Mr. Yaji also said that those who enrolled in the digital marketing programme, mainly youths, and trained on content creation and strategies for leveraging the internet, would receive smartphones and use it to generate income.

He said women beneficiaries in the entrepreneurship development programme would be trained on business expansion and improvement strategies.

In that light, he said they would be provided with empowerment packages tailored to their specific business needs.

 

Rural Electricity Project

In the latest round of empowerment initiatives, the Minority Whip of the House of Representatives launched and commissioned a Rural Electrification Project.

The project was inaugurated in Talasse, located in the Balanga Local Government Area of Gombe State and connecting Degri and Talasse.

Talasse has been the only Local Government Headquarters in Gombe State without access to electricity from the National Grid since its creation over 35 years ago.

Additionally, on Wednesday, the House of Representatives member is set to commission classroom blocks and water projects across all 20 wards within the two Local Government Areas that make up the Federal Constituency.

 

 

 

 

 

Emmanuel Ukoh