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Tag: Sokoto govt

  • Sokoto govt, UNICEF train MDAs on strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation

    Sokoto govt, UNICEF train MDAs on strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation

    In a bid to foster responsive collaboration and improve service delivery for citizens, the Sokoto State Government, in partnership with UNICEF, has organised a two-day capacity-building workshop for officials of its Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) involved in planning, monitoring, and evaluation.

    The initiative, facilitated through the State Ministry for Budget and Economic Planning, was held at Azbir Hotel, Birnin Kebbi, with key state government officials, UNICEF representatives from Abuja, and Mr. Michael Juma, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Sokoto, in attendance.

    Declaring the workshop open, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Abubakar Mohammed Zayyana, emphasised the critical role of planning in driving policy success.

    He noted that strengthening institutional capacity is essential for developing the state’s Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), State Development Plan (SDP), and the 2026 budget proposal.

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    “This initiative is aimed at equipping our planning officers to deliver better results for citizens. We appreciate UNICEF for its continued support in advancing our development agenda,” Dr. Zayyana said.

    Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Professor Ahmad Ladan Ala, highlighted the crucial role of line officers in data collection and harmonisation.

    He stressed the importance of providing them with the tools and training needed to present accurate data to policymakers for better governance outcomes.

    UNICEF’s Chief of Monitoring and Evaluation in Abuja, Mr. Wayne Bacale, outlined the workshop’s objectives and urged participants to fully engage, exchange ideas, and bring their expertise to bear.

    He reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to supporting Sokoto State’s efforts to improve the well-being of its people.

    In their separate remarks, Alhaji Sani Abdullahi, a director in the state service, and Comrade Bello Gwadabawa, a civil society representative, commended the workshop as a timely and impactful intervention.

    They lauded the partnership with UNICEF as a valuable step toward boosting productivity and accountability in public service.

  • Insecurity: Sokoto govt constructs military base in Illela

    Insecurity: Sokoto govt constructs military base in Illela

    Sokoto State government says it is currently constructing a military base in Illela town to support military operations in the fight against banditry and other forms of criminality in the state.

    Economic Adviser to the state governor, Dr. Bashir Achida, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja yesterday.

    He said the move was part of the efforts of the government and people of Sokoto State towards addressing the security challenge in the northwest and country at large.

    According to him, the government, when done with the construction of the base, would hand it over to the Federal Government in line with constitutional provision which placed the military under the Exclusive list.

    He said the renewed support became necessary, given the need to secure life and properties of citizens and the strategic position of the state in  agriculture and the nation’s economic development.

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    According to Adicha, with a secure environment, Sokoto State would contribute more to the nation’s efforts to fight poverty and food shortage.

    He said the strategic location of the state as a major agrarian area and having an international boundary made it vulnerable to the activities of bandits and other anti-social elements.

    He said the government had provided 140 operational vehicles to support the security agencies in the state to fight criminality, banditry in the communities and the farm lands.

    Achida said the state government was also constructing major roads to make the rural communities accessible to the military as part of its contributions to the fight against banditry and terrorism.

    He said the community guards that were earlier set up by the state government had been provided with 700 motorcycles and 40 Hilus vehicles.

    This, he said, was to complement efforts of the military and other security agencies in combating banditry and other criminal activities in the state.