Economic hardship: Gombe approves N43bn for gov’s residence, assembly complexes, others

• The Gombe State Executive Council has given the green light to allocate N43.13 billion towards constructing a state-of-the-art governor’s residence, High Court, and House of Assembly complex
• This resolution was reached during the 37th SEC meeting held in the executive chamber of the Government House
• However, while employees in the state civil service have been benefiting from the new minimum wage since 2020, those within the local government service are still awaiting its implementation

TheTalk.NG journalist Segun Adeyemi has over 9 years of experience covering political events, civil societies, courts, and metro

The Gombe State Executive Council, led by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, approved a budget of N43.130 billion to develop a state-of-the-art governor’s residence, High Court, and House of Assembly buildings.

This decision was reached at the 37th SEC gathering in the Government House’s executive chamber.

The 37th SEC of Gombe has agreed to build a befitting governor’s lodge. Photo Credit: Muhammadu Inuwa YahayaSource: Facebook

According to a report from Daily Trust, none of the governors who succeeded Abubakar Habu Hashidu in 2003, including Danjuma Goje and Ibrahim Dankwambo, have resided in the official governor’s residence at the Government House.

Governor Yahaya currently resides in his private home in the New GRA area.

The state government has approved a budget of N43.130bn for constructing a modern governor’s residence and upgraded High Court and House of Assembly Complexes.

Gomber approves N10bn for road construction in LGAs

Additionally, N10bn has been allocated for road construction in four local government areas and for the construction of accommodations for the Gombe State Security, Traffic, and Environmental Corps (GOSTEC).

Providing further details on the projects, Dr Usman Maijama’a Kallamu, the Commissioner for Works, Housing, and Transport, announced that the construction of the ultra-modern high court complex is budgeted at N14 billion, with N14.23 billion and N14.9 billion allocated for the House of Assembly Complex and the modern governor’s residence, respectively.

He stated that with the approval secured, contractors will soon be mobilised to begin work promptly.

Furthermore, the council has greenlit N10.4 billion to construct 77 kilometres of roads in Kwami, Funakaye, Nafada, and Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Areas of the state.

It’s been noted that despite the economic challenges brought on by the removal of fuel subsidies, certain projects, notably the state-of-the-art governor’s residence and associated complexes, were given the green light.

Gombe yet to implement minimum wage

Meanwhile, workers within the local government service have yet to see the implementation of the new minimum wage, unlike their counterparts in the state civil service, who have been enjoying it since 2020.

In response to the subsidy removal, Governor Yahaya initiated a N10,000 relief package for state and local government employees, though pensioners were excluded from this assistance.

This exclusion is significant, as some retirees still receive only N7,000 per month as their pension.

Bauchi govt denies earmarking N5bn for food, refreshment, others

Meanwhile, the Bauchi State Government has denied recent reports alleging that it used N5 billion on food and refreshments in 2023, dismissing them as false and harmful.

In an official statement, the government declared that online news sources deliberately created these claims to mislead the public.

Gidado condemned the report, accusing it of disregarding basic journalistic standards.

Source: TheTalk.NG

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