After insurgents developed a taste for open and poorly secured parks, detonating four bombs and killing scores at two such facilities in one day, the Gombe State government has started building large, better monitored parks. VINCENT OHONBAMU reports
Sulking over the last chilling attacks will not help. On Sallah’s eve, just under two weeks ago, a bomber killed 50 people and injured about 71 others at the Gombe Main Market. Six days earlier, four explosives, a pair in each of two parks, claimed another 36, injuring some 105. It was a horrible time for Gombe State.
Yet, Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo will not have his people brood endlessly over the tragedies. He took action to make it more difficult for bloodthirsty elements who continue to cause the nation much grief through such attacks on soft targets. Dankwambo is building spacious parks with sufficient monitoring gadgets.
That and some other spin-offs inspired the establishment of Gombe Mega Motor Park and Trailers Parking Bay, Governor Dankwambo said.
The governor spoke at the site of the Trailers’ Parking Bay after inspecting both sites in Gombe, the state capital.
He said, “From what we have seen in the last couple of weeks, these [bomb blasts] would have been minimised if we had one central place where people are monitored by cameras and their movements in and out regulated.
“We are guaranteed that this [Mega Motor Park] is going to be the only place where all security measures and devices can be installed for the security of lives and property.
“Secondly, it will help to generate revenue; thirdly there are related activities: lock-up shops, there is a small hotel where you can rest for the night if you return late and can’t go home. That dignity in human being is what we are looking for.
“These and other ancillary activities will enhance the socio-economic welfare of our people through increased commercial activities, thereby increasing the per capita income of the state.”
Dankwambo said the Trailers’ Parking Bay was informed by the need to curtail the loss of lives and property through accidents caused by articulated vehicles.
Speaking further, he said, “One of the reasons is to ensure that as much as possible, trailers, tankers, the larger vehicles don’t go into Gombe. They will park here. And if they are loading from the NNPC Depot or the grains market, they proceed from here and move in an organised way that can be controlled.
“Secondly, if you go into town, you will see a lot of heavy-duty vehicles parked indiscriminately. By that we are losing revenue and so many benefits. And the roads too are overstressed and sometimes we see indiscriminate parking on both lanes.
“But with this kind of thing, to a larger extent, revenue can be generated; employment can be generated here too and security of the vehicles will also be guaranteed”.
He said various relevant unions would equally be better organised in their monitoring of the people who go in and out of the town for security purposes.
Yaya Bappayo, Permanent Secretary, Gombe State Ministry of Works who conducted the governor round the projects, said the project cost N3.2bn with 28 months completion period starting from January 2013.
He said when completed, the Mega Motor Park would provide employment for teeming youths of the state, enhance internal revenue generation, and improve state security delivery, and would, above all, harmonise, sanitise and modernise all the mini motor parks scattered across Gombe metropolis.
Ancillary facilities at the parks include a terminal building, four taxi lines, three retail shops, two mini-bus lines, luxury bus lines, two modern mechanic workshops, standard clinic, fire service station, comprehensive police station, two juma’at mosque, three public toilet and bathrooms, a standard 38-room hotel and two administrative union offices
Nevertheless, the need to reschedule the completion period; need for proper organisation of site, need for additional skilled labour and additional workforce and the need to start work on trailers, trucks and lorries’ section as well as general external works questions the scheduled completion period.
It also questions Governor Dankwambo’s resolve and assurance to finish Mega Motor Park project this year.
Work at the Parking Bay has attained 80% completion and while that of the Mega Motor Park is still at a mere 38% completion despite that government has paid 52% of the total contract sum to the contractors.
The Nation reports that government intends to operate both projects for a while and later handover to the private sector for proper management as part of the strategy to reduce the government expenditure, maximize as much revenue as possible and recoup the resources invested on them for further investments.
