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Tag: Governor Ibrahim Gaidam

  • Gov Gaidam appoints Saleh Head of Service 

    Gov Gaidam appoints Saleh Head of Service 

    Yobe State, governor Ibrahim Gaidam has appointed Alhaji Saleh Abubakar as the new Head of Sevice to the State Government.
    Mr Saleh Abubakar replaces Alhaji Dauda Yahaya who has served out his mandatory 35 years in the state civil service.
    Until his appointment, Abubakar was the Chief of State to Gov. Gaidam.
    Born in Gashu’a Town, Bade Local Government on 27th November 1958, he attended Central Primary School, Gashu’a 1965-1972; General Murtala Mohammed College (GMMC) 1972-1976; SBS Zaria 1977-78; ABU Zaria 1979-1982where he bagged B.Sc. Degree in Political Science.
    He started his career with old Borno State Civil Service in 1983; joined the services of Ministry of External Affairs (now foreign affairs) in 1984; then re-joined the services of old Borno State in 1989 as Admin Officer.
    As an indigene of Yobe, he Moved to Yobe State after creation in 1991like any other person as Director Political Affairs in the Governor’s Office.
    In 1995, he became Director Administration, also in the Governor’s Office. In 1999, he was appointed Deputy Permanent Secretary, Admin, a position he held till 2004 when he was posted to Ministry of Land and Survey as Deputy Permanent Secretary.
    The new Head of Service returned to the Governor’s office in 2006 as Deputy Permanent Secretary Administration till 2007 when he was appointed Permanent Secretary/Chief of Staff to the Governor.
    Alhaji Saleh Abubakar served as Chief of Staff to the Governor for a decade until his new appointment as Yobe State Head of Service by His Excellency Governor Ibrahim Gaidam.
  • Post insurgency: Yobe holds humanitarian submit for key actors

    Post insurgency: Yobe holds humanitarian submit for key actors

    As part of its post insurgency and recovery plan for the Boko Haram insurgency in the state, Yobe State Government  has convened a humanitarian submit for all stakeholders in the humanitarian community to discuss better ways of humanitarian coordination in the state.

    The submit which took place in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital at the WAWA Hall of Government House Damaturu has the theme, Consolidating Humanitarian Recovery Plans.

    The event which was put together by the State Committee for Reconstruction, Resettlement and Rehabilitation headed by the State Deputy Gov. Engr. Abubakar Aliyu brought together all humanitarian actors in the state including traditional rulers, local government chairmen, Civil Societies Organizations, Faith Based Organizations across the state.

    In his address to the event, the State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam said the meeting is a positive step towards having a master plan of intervention that will mitigate wastages and duplication of efforts which will have direct impact on the victims.

    “…we however believe that a streamlined and well-coordinated intervention in humanitarian support and socio-economic assistance will maximize the desired impact on the victims, reduce wastage and ensure value for money. This therefore informs the need to have an intervention master plan such that no felt need of the victims shall be left out, or assistance of any agency or organization discounted,” Gov. Gaidam said.

    The governor also stated that the assistance being received from International and local donor agencies have been a source of consolation for him and the people of the state.

    Speaking on the enormity and scale of the crisis and its attendant consequences, Gov. Gaidam noted that, given the monumental humanitarian crises before us, no government, agency or Non-Governmental Organization, however endowed, can handle the situation alone”, which is while the gathering was convoked.

    Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam also observed that the task of rebuilding, and rehabilitation of the destroyed communities by the Boko Haram insurgents will be made easier as according to him the committee has, “set the stage that will provide window of opportunity to governments, Development partners, inter-governmental Organizations, humanitarian bodies and individual to identify and explore areas of interventions”

    In his welcome address, the Chairman of Yobe State Committee for the Reconstruction, Resettlement and Rehabilitation of Victims of Boko Haram, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu said his committee was faced with conflicting demands due to lack of proper coordination and understanding among the affected people and the actors involved.

    He stated that the lack of an effective synergy and coordination of all agencies and actors in the humanitarian activities in the state informed the need for the committee to put up the summit, stressing that a comprehensive document is expected to be produce that will be called ‘Yobe State Government Post Insurgency Integrated Intervention Plan’, encompassing all the various sector of the intervention.

    Engr. Aliyu called on all participants to give out their best so as to achieve the objective of the meeting for the victims of terror in the state.

    Goodwill messages were presented by other actors in the humanitarian community including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Victim Support Funds (VSF), Presidential Committee on North East Initiative(PCNI), etc.

     

  • Gaidam steps up effort to revive education woes in Yobe

    Gaidam steps up effort to revive education woes in Yobe

    …invest N3.03 billion in school upgrade, Student feeding, exams, others

     

    As part of measures to revive the woes of education in Yobe state, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam has approved the renovation and expansion of three new schools one from each of the three senatorial zones of state.

    Our correspondents reports that Gaidam had recently embarked on inspection visits to ascertain the level and quality of the work going on in the three schools.

    The schools are Government secondary School Yunusari, Government Secondary School Guwio Kura and Government Secondary School Fika.

    Explaining the investments of Yobe State in the educational sector, the Director of Press Affairs and Information to Yobe State Governor Abdullahi Bego in a statement said the huge spending in education is a deliberate initiative of   Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam  to reverse the ugly trend in the sector and a quick  recovery measure  to  the hard injuries Boko Haram has inflicted on education in the state.

    According to him, “ Yobe State Government has spent N3, 032, 275, 200.00 in various education-related expenses, including the rehabilitation and expansion of three secondary schools, feeding of students in boarding schools, payment of fees for students writing the West African Examinations (WAEC), payment for special remedial programme for Yobe students in the University of Maiduguri as well as fees for Yobe students in various Nigeria-Tulip International Colleges (NTIC) in Mamudo, Kano, Kaduna, and Abuja, amongst others”.

    He noted that Gov.  Gaidam gave the approvals, as part of his determination to bring quality education within the reach of all Yobe students.

    A breakdown of the funds indicates  that,  “ about  N1.3 billion was committed to renovating, expanding and upgrading Government Secondary Schools Fika, Gwio-Kura and Yunusari, N408, 867, 650.00 was spent in the feeding of boarding school students during the last academic term and N188, 932, 300.00 is being spent in the current (ongoing) academic term.

    “The State Government has also made a 50 percent down payment to WAEC for the 2017 WAEC exams; conditions that must be met for any state government to have its students participate in the year’s WAEC examinations. The remaining 50 percent will be paid during the year as Yobe students sit for the exams,” the statement informed.

    In an attempt to boost the number of gradutes in the state for her workforce in the civil service and the Teaching Service Board the state government went into agreement with University of Maiduguri to train graduates for the state under a Special Redial Program situated in Damaturu.

    “Under a special arrangement with the University of Maiduguri, Yobe students undertake a remedial programme each year to enable them fully qualify for admission to various courses in the University. A total sum of N52, 565, 000 was therefore paid by the government for up to 5, 000 students to participate in this year’s remedial programme,” the statement said.

    The statement also read in parts; “The Gaidam administration also spent N971, 598, 000 as fees for the 2016/2017 session for Yobe students enrolled in the Nigeria-Tulip International Colleges (formerly Nigeria-Turkish International Colleges) in Mamudo, Kano, Kaduna and Abuja campuses.

    “The State Government has also paid N27, 732, 250.00 in registration, examinations and upkeep of Yobe students admitted under a special Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) into Fountain University, Oshogbo.

    “His Excellency Governor Ibrahim Gaidam has also granted approval for a monthly standing payment of N18, 700, 000.00 for the purchase of cows to be slaughtered and used for boarding school students across the state.

    “The public may also note that the governor has approved N33 million for the drilling of boreholes for potable water supply in the three secondary schools currently being upgraded by the government (in Yunusari, Gwio-Kura and Fika towns).

    “As the upgrade of the three secondary schools nears completion, His Excellency the governor has ordered a process for the supply of laboratory equipment, classroom and staff room furniture, beddings, library books, and other essential supplies for the schools to move forward.

    “In keeping with His Excellency’s promise, all these items will be provided to the three affected schools within the next few weeks.

    “The governor assures parents, students and teachers that his administration will continue to give the educational development of the state the highest possible attention,” the statement said.

     

     

  • ‘Why Gaidam sacked information commissioner’

    ‘Why Gaidam sacked information commissioner’

    Facts have begun to emerge why Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam sacked his commissioner of  Home Affairs,  Information and Culture, Alhaji Aji Bularafa.

    Though no clear reason was given why the commissioner was shown the way out, investigation, however, reveal  that he was alleged to be holding secrets meeting with some group of politicians ahead of 2019 general elections.

    Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam on Wednesday directed the Secretary to Yobe State Government Baba Malam Wali to relieve the commissioner of his position as a member of the State Executive Council with immediate effect.

    In a statement issued by Shaibu Abdullahi, the Press Secretary to the SGG asked Mr Bularafa to hand over the affairs of the ministry to the permanent secretary with immediate effect.

    The Statement reads: “His Excellency Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State has relieved Alh. Aji Yerima Bularafa of his appointment as a Hon. Commissioner ministry of information and culture and member Yobe state executive council with immediate effect.
    “The governor has further directed he should hand over the affairs of his office to the permanent Secretary pending the appointment of a new commissioner”.

    This is the second time  Gov. Gaidam has sacked Aji Yerima Bularafa as commissioner. In 2013, he was sacked for alleged anti-party activities but later recalled and appointed as Special Adviser in two capacities before his re-appointment as commissioner for information in 2015.

    There are strong rumours that some politicians in the state from Abuja are grouping to scuttle whoever Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam will support as his successor come 2019.

    Already, the APC is the state is divided between the Abuja group and the governor’s group otherwise regarded as Damaturu group.

    The two times former Director General, Ibrahim Gaidam Campaign Organization in 2011 and 2015, former Commissioner of Works,  Water Resources, Animals and Fisheries and Former Party Chairman of the defunct  ANPP in the state now member representing Karasuwa/Nguru/Yusufari Federal Constituency Hon.  Alhaji Yakubu Sidi Karasuwa has already declared his intention to run for the highest job in the state come 2019.

    An impeccable source has informed that Karasuwa has personally informed Gov. Gaidam of his ambition to succeed him but indications are clearly that he may not be the preferred candidate of the governor.

    Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam who is bid to leave Yobe Government House by May 2019 after he must have served out his two terms as governor is likely to engage in a political tussle with former governor Bukar Abba Ibrahim over the Zone A senatorial seat Sen. Bukar Abba is currently occupying for the third time in a roll.

    Last month, Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam in a similar manner sacked his Special Adviser on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Kaigama Umar who served as his commissioner of Finance for almost six years. Kaigama’s fate was also attributed to allegations of secret political meetings in connection with 2019.

    In his defence, Hon.Aji Yerima Bularafa told our correspondent on phone that the news of his sacking came as a surprise to him, adding that he is not aware of any secret meeting has attended either within on outside Damaturu.

    Bularafa, however, said that he has taken his fate to Allah.

    I honestly don’t feel bad because it is what Allah has destined and I can’t change it. My fate is in Him and I surely believe in His works,” Bularafa said.

    A close source to the governor informed that he has warned all political appointees in the state that, “it’s too early to start engaging in politics of 2019”.

     

    The source added that there are indications that more commissioners or any other political appointee would be sacked because the governor is very angry and serious over the issue.

     

  • IGR: RMAFC advises Yobe to establish solid minerals selling points

    IGR: RMAFC advises Yobe to establish solid minerals selling points

    The Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) have advised Yobe State Government to establish selling points for solid minerals exploited in the state as a way of boosting the Internally Generated Revenue of the State.

    The National Commissioner Barr. Yakubu Muri Tukur gave the advice during a courtesy call on Governor Ibrahim Gaidam at the Government House in Damaturu said the state can only get revenue of its royalties from the solid minerals only if it establishes selling points of such minerals or else it will lose it to states where those minerals are being sold.

    Tukur also told Gaidam that his team was in the state to monitor royalties accruable to the state and equally scrutinises the activities of illegal miners.

    In his response, Governor Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam called on the Federal Government to urgently review of the legal frame-work surrounding the mining sector to clearly define the roles of the states, local governments and communities blessed with solid mineral potentials.

    Gaidam also advised the Federal Government to accelerate exploration and exploitation of the solid minerals in Yobe to enable it benefit from the 13% derivation accruable from the revenue from solid minerals in the state.

    “The Federal Government should take decisive steps towards accelerated exploration and exploitation of Solid minerals that abound in the country and in particular states like our own. This will enable us benefit from the 13% derivation accruable from the revenue from solid minerals that we have been blessed with,” Gaidam said.

    The Governor praised the foresight of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission for conceiving the idea of monitoring royalties’ collections and activities of miners at the state and local government levels said it will help in enhancing the revenue based of the solid mineral producing states in the country.

    He added that as part of the effort to encourage investors in the mining sector in the state, his Government has formulated policies aimed at creating confidence through construction of infrastructural facilities for better result.

    The Governor directed the secretary to the state Government to come up with a proposal for the establishment of a domesticated state mineral resources and Environmental Management Committee for effective the implementation of all important decisions in the sector.

    The Nation checks revealed that Yobe State has a very robust solid mineral base ranging from Limestone, Gypsum, Trona, Kaolin, Clay, Diatomite, Iron Ore, and Silica Sand among others.

  • Yobe takes steps to ensure good governance, financial discipline

    Yobe takes steps to ensure good governance, financial discipline

    …Inaugurate fiscal responsibility board, public procurement bureau
    Yobe State government has taken measures to ensure good governance and compliance with global financial best practices with the inauguration of the newly established Fiscal Responsibility Board and Bureau for Public Procurement in the State.

    The State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam who performed the ceremony at the WAWA Hall of the Government House noted that, “ these boards are further steps taken towards prudent management of the state’s resources to ensure long term microeconomic stability on one hand and the regulatory authority responsible for monitoring (and exercising) oversight of public procurement on the other”.

    Gaidam also explained that the Fiscal Responsibility Board and the Bureau for Public Procurement are important tools of measuring good governance and financial discipline in the state.

    “Good governance, as I had cause to emphasize in several forums, implies good management of all aspects of our state affairs. It implies government’s responsiveness to the social and economic needs and aspirations of the people.

    “It is a fact that the net social consequences of endemic corruption occasioned by bad governance in the past has contributed to underdevelopment of various sectors of our national economy. The eradication of corruption and instilling transparency, accountability, responsive and responsible leadership constitute the only means of reversing the ugly trend”, Gaidam said.

    He added that it is the first time that a fiscal responsibility body and an agency for public procurement were established in the history of Yobe State.
    Also at the occasion, the governor swore in six newly appointed permanent secretaries recently appointed in the state Civil Service.

  • Boko Haram has cost Yobe N15b, says governor

    • NPA donates materials to IDPs

    The Boko Haram insurgency has cost the Yobe State government over N15 billion, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, has said.

    “We’ve spent over N15 billion since the insurgency started between 2011 till date, but, the good thing is that Yobe is now safe and we’re preparing to resettle those that were displaced.

    “We want them to move back and we’re awaiting the clearance of the military to do that,” Gaidam stated.

    Gaidam, who spoke through the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Baba Malam Wali, thanked NPA’s management, saying the collaborated with the military, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other stakeholders to achieve the peace it is currently enjoying.

    The governor said there is no area in the state under the control of  Boko Haram, adding that the war against the Boko Haram group has gulped over N15 billion from the state’s treasury since it started.

    “We worked with and assisted the military, NEMA and the Red Cross, among others. We also assisted those affected by bomb blasts and gunshots during the battle against insurgency.

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) took relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Yobe and Borno states as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to ameliorate the pains and sufferings of families affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.

    The gesture, it was gathered, stems from the belief of its Managing Director that the money generated from the nation’s sea ports is meant to develop the country and support its people.

    The initiative, according to NPA Managing Director, Mallam Habib Abdullahi, who was represented by the Chairman of the Committee on IDPs, Mr Yahaya Bukar Gana, aligns with NPA’s CSR.

    Abdullahi said the agency  would continue to focus on working with  government to deliver basic assistance and support to displaced people and IDPs in all the affected states. He assured that such gesture would be regular.

    All members of the committee on IDPs from NPA were present at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) offices in Yola and Maiduguri where the items were kept after proper handing over of the relief materials to the governors of the two states.

    In Borno, Governor Kashim Shettima who personally took delivery of the relief materials at the Government House, Maiduguri, expressed appreciation to the management of the NPA for the support and urged other agencies in the maritime industry to emulate NPA.

    “On behalf of the people and government of Borno State, we wish to register our profound gratitude for your kind gesture over the insurgence that is currently confronting us.

    “The people of Borno will forever be grateful to you for your kind gesture and we pray to Allah that this madness shall soon be over,” the Governor said.

    The relief materials donated to each of the states included 100 bags of beans, 100 bags of millets, 100 bags of maize, 150 mattresses, 200 kegs of vegetable oil, 300 bales of nylon mats and 10 bales of blankets.

  • 29 killed in suicide bomb attack on procession

    29 killed in suicide bomb attack on procession

    ‘No permit for march’

    Shiite leader accuses soldiers of shooting 

    Twenty-nine people died yesterday in the mid-day suicide attack on Muslim Shiite sect members celebrating the Ashurah Day in Potiskum, Yobe State,  eyewitnesses said.

    The suicide attack took place at Tsohon Kasuwa, a densely populated area in the commercial city. It is 100km south of Damaturu, the state capital.

    But the police put the figure of the dead at four, including the bomber. They said five people were injured.

    The leader of the Shiite group, Mallam Mustapha Lawan Nasidi, said 29 members of the group were killed; over 80 injured.

    Lawan blamed the military for the rise in the death toll, alleging that “many of the people were killed by security agencies, particularly soldiers”.

    “From what we have gathered, 13 people were brought in dead. The death toll has kept on increasing. Right now, we have about 29 bodies and 82 people injured. It is unfortunate that soldiers are responsible for the killing of many of our members. They used their guns and armoured cars to shoot at our members. The police asked them not to shoot people but they did not listen. We have shells of bullets that they used in killing our people .This is very bad because the people who are supposed to be protecting us are now killing us,” Mustapha said.

    Reacting to allegations that the group did not get clearance from security, Mustapha said: “This is not the first time we are marking this day. We have been doing it since the past 20 years. We did it last year and nothing happened. Do we also have to start taking permission from security operative to be going to Mosque on Fridays? I want to believe that the number of people that were in that procession was not up to the number of people that go to mosque on Friday. So, why must we go to security for such a very peaceful event which is not a political gathering?”

    An eyewitness, Ibrahim Mohammed whose brother was killed in the attack said he counted 23 bodies, including his brother’s.

    “I have counted 23 bodies right now. My brother is also one of the people killed in the attack. All the bodies are now deposited at the school belonging to the Shiite sect,” Ibrahim disclosed.

    He added that some of the people killed were not from the suicide attack but gunshot from security agents who invaded the scene of the attack and started shooting sporadically.

    Another eyewitness, Adamu Yunusa, said there were two suicide bombers marching along with the Shiite members in the procession before one of the bombers detonated the explosive wired body. The second bomber was caught in an attempt to detonate his.

    “This incident took place a few meters from my house. The explosion was heavy and scary. It was as if it took place right in my bedroom, I came out and saw people running all over the road and there was confusion. One of my brothers in the procession told me that the suicide bombers were two. That the other one was trying to trigger his bomb and was caught by some members but taken away by soldiers who came to the scene,” Yunusa said.

    Yunusa added: “It is unfortunate that some of the people that were killed were not as a result of the blast but soldiers who came to the place and were shooting directly at innocent people. If you see some of the bodies, they are clear gunshots and not suicide bomb attack. Most of the ones that died from the blast were either roasted or shattered.”

    Yobe State Police Commissioner  Danladi Markus said: “It  is unfortunate that these people went on to carry out the procession without informing security to assist in beefing up security around them and the suicide bomber took advantage of the situation to strike. We pray for the repose of the souls of those that are dead and a speedy recovery for the injured people.

    “I want to call on the people to cooperate with security agencies to fish out bad people in our midst. You can see the endorsement of the governor that took place during the weekend was a big occasion but it went on smoothly because of the security measures we took.”

    Governor Ibrahim Gaidam condemned the attack, describing it as “heinous, barbaric and unwarranted”.

    In a statement by his Special Adviser on Press Affairs and Information, Abdullahi Bego, Gaidam expressed regrets that the attack came when peace was returning to the state.

    The statement reads: “His Excellency has condemned the attack in which many lives were lost and injuries sustained, as heinous, barbaric and unwarranted.

    “The governor regrets that the attack came at a time that peace is generally returning to the state.

    “The governor notes that those behind the attack are criminals who want to fan the embers of religious discord. He called on all the people of the state to remain calm and vigilant.

    “His Excellency Governor Gaidam has prayed the Almighty Allah (SWT) to grant eternal repose to those killed in the attack and quick recovery to those who have sustained injuries.

    “The governor has also directed government hospitals in the area to provide immediate medical treatment to all victims of the attack free of charge.”

     

  • Yobe governor: emergency won’t end insurgency

    Yobe governor: emergency won’t end insurgency

    Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam yesterday said the extension of the state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states would not end insurgency.

    The governor noted that if the government did not use the nation’s military power to quell Boko Haram insurgency, the extension of the state of emergency would amount to “motion without movement”.

    The governor, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Press Affairs and Information, Abdullahi Bego, said the efficacy of the state of emergency has been demonstrably chequered in the last six months.

    The statement reads: “Governor Gaidam acknowledges that it is within the powers of the President to proclaim a state of emergency in any part of the country, subject to the approval of the National Assembly, if and when the security situation calls for it. This was why the governor supported the President’s declaration of a state-of-emergency in the three affected states six months ago.

    “Gaidam believed then that the measure was necessary to allow for the deployment and use of all the elements of our military power to deal with the prevailing criminal and violent insurgency.

    “Over the past six months, however, the efficacy of the state of emergency has been demonstrably checkered. While the military and other security agencies on the ground have done and continue to do a commendable job in very difficult circumstances, insurgents and criminals are still able to carry out heinous and despicable attacks on innocent people.

    “We still remember and mourn the innocent victims of attacks on our schools in Damaturu, Mamudo and Gujba towns.

    “We cannot forget scores of other innocent victims who were killed, maimed or deprived of livelihoods by criminals and insurgents who have not a speck of respect or feeling for human life. And our people still continue to endure hardships as a result of the prevailing security situation.

    “The governor understands that recent attacks across the Northeast could be used as a rationale for the extension of the state of emergency.

    “The governor believes, however, that it is time the Federal Government moved beyond nomenclature and actually addressed the ongoing senseless and violent insurgency as a national emergency.”

  • A lift for youths, agric in Yobe

    A lift for youths, agric in Yobe

    As peace gradually returns to Yobe State, thanks to the emergency rule, the administration of Governor Ibrahim Gaidam has taken far-reaching steps to help the state farmers produce enough food.

    The administration has provided subsidised fertilizer for farmers, inaugurated and distribution 40 units of Massey Ferguson tractors and other implements. It has also disbursed funds to youths and women under the state Fadama III Development Project.

    That was not all. Water pumps were equally handed out to farmers to help them irrigate their farmlands. No fewer than 500 tricycle were given out too under the SURE-P scheme.

    At the flagg-off, which took place at the Government House, Damaturu, Governor Gaidam disclosed that  his administration will continue to accord agricultural sector the attention it deserves, adding that Yobe will strive to attain food sufficiency under his administration.

    The measure, according to Gaidam, will boost agriculture and stimulate economic growth and reduce unemployment among the teaming youths of the state, stressing that the insurgency has slowed down the level of development in the state and even affected the agriculture sector.

    “Any nation that can solve its food problem has solved half of its problem,” the governor said.

    At the launching, he cut down the prices of fertilizer procured at N7,312.50 by 70%. He  directed that it be sold at the subsidised rate of N2,500, adding that  that government procured 6,000 metric tons  of urea amounting to N877.5, all with the aim of creating the enabling environment for the agricultural sector.

    “The state now has 6000 metric tons of urea fertilizer procured at the total sum of N877,500,000 to be distributed to each of the 178 electoral wards in the state, large-scale farmers, civil servants, irrigation farmers etc,” Gaidam said.

    He warned that government will take drastic measures against any committee that diverts the product.

    “You must avoid the temptation of the antics of middlemen,” he said.

    While launching the 40 pieces MF375 tractors, the governor noted that the state must take further steps to mechanise its agricultural production by employing modern practices that will improve output.

    “For us to achieve our objectives, we  must take further steps to mechanise our agricultural production by employing modern practices that will improve out-put. This informs the use of tractors and their accessories, improved seedlings and agro-chemicals, in addition to embarking on robust extention services that will help our farmers to overcome any obstacle to agricultural production.

    “It is in realisation of this that the 40 MF375 tractors and implements were procured at the total cost of N320m. This is aimed at boosting agricultural production among our citizens in addition to serving as a source of enhancing revenue generation drive for the Government,” Governor Gaidam.

    He warned that the operations of the tractors would be properly monitored and supervised to avoid any leakage of funds provided from them.

    The governor who lamented the erratic rainfall and its poor distribution in the arid and semi-arid zones like Yobe, announced that the state government has identified areas that have potentials of  irrigation farming in Yunusari and Yusufari local government areas.

    As an interim measure, 100 water pumps and tube wells amounting to N15 million was distributed to beneficiaries at the occasion.

    Also, N76 million assistance was given to women and youth groups under the Fadam III  programme.

    On the tricycles, Governor Gaidam said they will be given to beneficiaries with a 50 per cent discount to be paid within 24 months.

    In his  remarks, the state commissioner of agriculture Alhaji Idi Barde Gubana announced that the present administration from the beginning disbursed  the sum of N581 million to 14,421 beneficiaries across the state.

    He pointed out that with the fertilizer sales, the tractors  and other agricultural inputs, farmers will be encouraged  to produce more.