The Gombe State Executive Council has approved the sum of 2.3 billion naira for the implementation of a new nutrition policy, intended to curb malnutrition among children below the age of five.
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Speaking during a media briefing after the first and 36th edition of the Gombe State Executive Council Meeting in 2024, presided by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, the Commissioner for Economic Planning, Mr. Salihu Alkali, said the government would fund the policy with the amount to ensure its successful implementation and guarantee the drastic reduction of malnutrition cases in children.
The policy, which is slated to last for five years, from 2023 to 2027, is intended to eradicate nutrition-related deaths among children.
Consequently, Mr. Alkali said the approval was made after it was represented by a subcommittee during the council meeting.
“This nutrition policy intends to improve the nutrition of our children in the state, not only to improve but to reduce malnutrition and also poverty.
“His Excellency, having looked at the situation on the ground, said if our children are not fed well in terms of health, their future is not secured,” said Alkali.
He said the new Gombe State Nutrition Policy was multisectoral because it would involve various ministries, departments and agencies, such as Health, Education, and Agriculture, and the contributions of donor agencies for the implementation of the policy, while the Ministry of Economic Planning would coordinate the implementation.
In the meantime, the Gombe State Executive Council approved the sum of 5.2 billion naira for the payment of gratuities to state and local government retirees.
The announcement was made by Commissioner of Information, Mr. Mijinyawa Tilde, said it was the fifth time the Governor Yahaya Administration was settling inherited outstanding gratuities to retirees.
Also, the Commissioner of Finance, Mr. Muhammad Magaji, explained that 2.291 billion naira would be used to offset the gratuity of the state’s civil service workers.
“This is the fifth time since this current administration took office that the government is clearing backlog this time N2.291 billion is earmarked for the payment of gratuity to deserving and other entitlements of the state’s 2018 retirees,” Magaji added.
The Commissioner for Local Government and Community Development, Mr. Abdulkadir Waziri, said Gombe State Executive Council had approved the memo presented by the ministry for the payment of retired local government workers of all the 11 Local Government Councils in the state.
Mr. Waziri said the local government contributory fund had already earmarked over 3 billion naira for the payment of retirees.
He stressed that local governments were going to pay the backlog up to 2022.
“Some will pay at least two years each this has gone a long way in realizing the efforts of His Excellency to reduce the burden of retirees and to better the lives of citizens,” said Mr. Waziri.
The Commissioner of Finance, Mr. Magaji also announced the approval of 332 million naira for the payment of compensation to property owners at Bauchi and Dukku motor parks in the Gombe metropolis.
Mr. Magaji said the governor had constituted a task force/committee to assess properties in two locations, after which they submitted their report and a compensation committee was asked to do a review.
He said after the review, the committee submitted a proposal of 332 million naira, which the council approved for the payment of the compensation.
Mr. Magaji said the compensation would provide for the relocation of the motor parks to the Mega Motor Park, which the Administration of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya completed.
