The Gombe State government in Northeast Nigeria has approved funds for various Projects in the state, including 417, 509, 700 for the payment of various examination fees for senior secondary schools.
The Gombe of the state, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya who chaired the State Executive Council, ratified the approval of funds for the projects.
The state Commissioner of Information, Meshack Audu Lauco told journalists in Gombe after the meeting that the council had also ratified the approval of 331, 155, 500 for the payment of outstanding bursaries for 16, 113 students at various tertiary schools across the country.
According to Mr Lauco, the council also approved the contract for the operations and maintenance of the Gombe Water Supply Scheme for 2022 at the sum of 1, 174, 726, 128. 27 and another 2023, at the cost of 1, 233, 462, 508.18 kobo.
Payment of Examination Fees
Expatiating on the payment of the examination fees and the bursary and the Gombe State Commissioner for Education, Dr Aishatu Umaru Maigari, said those who merited the payment of their examination fees were those who scored 50% scores in the Mock Examination conducted in the state, to prepare the students for better results.
She said those who qualified were 21,988 in 151 Senior Secondary schools across the state, specifically for the West African Examination, WAEC, the National Business and Technical Examination Board, NAPTEB and the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies, NBAIS.
Dr Maigari said the number of those who passed the Mock Examination represented 78.59% of the total number of candidates who wrote the mock examination.
She said the registration for the WAEC was 20, 685 students, while NABTEB had 1, 167 candidates and NBAIS had 136 students, saying the fees cover the online biometric registration, the procurement for specimens for reagents for practicals, transportation of examination materials from Bauchi to the WAEC Centre, management and supervision of the examination fees for NBAIS and charges for lower and higher candidature.
Dr Maigari said the steps became necessary given how the results of examinations had been appreciating by students in the state since the present administration came into office in 2019.
“Since the inception of this administration, we have been we have seen our WAEC Results going higher and higher, where most of our students whom we have registered are getting the minimum requirement of five credits, including Maths and English,” said Dr Maigari.
She announced that the Gombe State Government had given a temporary office for the West African Examination Council, which is at present based in Bauchi and a piece of land of which the organisation should within the period of staying in the rented place, develop and move into it.
According to Dr Maigari, the move is to make the examination process easy for the examination body’s officers, officials of the government and the students as well.
Payment of bursaries
Equally so, the Gombe State Commissioner for Education said the Government had approved the payment of the sum of 331, 155, 500 naira as student bursary to 16, 113 students registered from the 2017 to 2022 Academic Sessions.
“The students have been verified, even the backlog that has not been paid has been paid and the process is ongoing.”
Approval for the construction of Gombe Housing Units
They comprise 150 three-bedroom apartments, 350 2 bedroom apartments and 50 one-bedroom flats.
The Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Mr Abdullahi Idris, said each of the 3 bedroom buildings was at the rate of 10, 857, 855, 98 kobo, while each of the two-bedroom apartments was 8, 181, 233, 77 kobo and the one bedroom apartment was at the rate of 5, 367, 491, 47 kobo.
Mr Idris said the contract had been awarded after going through all necessary procedures for the commencement of construction to begin.
He said the housing contract had been segmented into four parts, with the first part to be completed within 53 weeks, while the second would be completed within 35 weeks, the 3rd lot would be completed in 53 weeks and the 4th part would be completed in 30 weeks.
“They are to be mobilised with 30% because the fund is available, ready for them and we can mobilise them anytime and work will start in earnest,” said Mr Idris.
He said the housing unit would be located along Kano By-Pass on the NNPC land that was revoked
The council also approved the upward review for compensation rates in respect of properties affected by the construction of road construction projects in Gombe State by 100%.
Payment of Water Supply and maintenance contract
Explaining further on the water project, the Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr Mijinyawa Yahaya, said there was an increase of 5% in the amount approved, because of the current inflation rate in the country.
He said the expansion and upgrade of the Gombe State Regional Water Scheme had an initial completion date of 22 months, (18 months for completion and 6 months for defect liability, but that a marching order by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, directed that the project should be completed before his second term inauguration.
According to the Gombe State Commissioner for Water Resources, the project, however, could not meet the target set because of some challenges encountered on the way.
He said that even though the May 29 dateline could not be met, the Ministry of Water Resources was working hard to ensure that the target was met because work was seriously ongoing in the project execution.
The council also approved the contract for the construction of 550 housing units at the cost of 4, 745, 991, 790. 35 kobo.
