The construction of three projects – the Gombe State governor’s residence, high court and the state House of Assembly complex are to gulp a total of N43.130 billion naira.
The State Executive Council approved the sum during the 37th SEC meeting presided over by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, held at the executive chamber of the Government House.
The breakdown showed that the high court complex construction would gulp N14bn, while N14.23bn and N14.9bn would be used to construct the House of Assembly Complex and the ultra-modern governor’s residence respectively.
The state’s Commissioner for Information, Mijinyawa Ardo Tilde, who revealed this, said the council has also approved N10bn for the construction of of 77 kilometres roads in Kwami, Funakaye Nafada, Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Areas of the state, and construction of Gombe State Security, Traffic and Environmental Corps (GOSTEC) office accommodations.
According to the Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport, Dr. Usman Maijama’a Kallamu, who gave the breakdown, with the approval, contractors would be mobilised to site and work would commence in earnest.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Education, Dr Aishatu Umar Maigari, said the council has approved N549 million for payment of registration fees for the West African Examination Council (WAEC), the National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) and the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (MBAIS) for 19,840 indigent students.
She said the students were in 151 senior secondary schools in the state, including those on exchange programmes.
The commissioner said 19,000 of the 23,000 students passed a mock examination conducted by the ministry.
Maigari said, “In 2019 when Governor Inuwa Yahaya assumed office, only 22 per cent of students were getting five credits and above. In 2023, we had had 67.8 percent who passed with five credits, including Mathematics and English.”
Apart from former Governor Abubakar Habu Hashidu, all the subsequent governors of the state, Danjuma Goje and Ibrahim Dankwambo did not stay in the official governor’s residence located at the Government House, despite several renovations to the edifice.
Governor Yahaya is currently living at his private residence located at the New GRA.
