Bauchi to Renovate State Secretariat with N779m, Supply Electricity to 237 Communities with N514m

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi  

The Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed Abdulkadir, has approved the sum of N779.8 million for the complete renovation of Government Secretariat, which is named Abubakar Umar Secretariat.

This followed the declaration that the secretariat, which was commissioned 39 years ago, is unsuitable for the civil servants to operate in and for the public to visit.   

This was disclosed by the Head of Service, Mr. Yahuza Haruna Adamu, who briefed journalists shortly after the State Executive Council (SEC) meeting at the Government House in Bauchi.

Adamu also said that the renovation became necessary because the secretariat, which was constructed in three phases between 1983 and 2007, had not witnessed any form of reparation since then aside some minor fixing and maintenance.

He said: “Council considered and approved the total renovation of the Abubakar Umar Secretariat, Bauchi, at the cost of N779.8 million.”

He explained that “the secretariat was constructed in three phases: Phase one was constructed and commissioned during the first civilian administration of late Governor Abubakar Tatari Ali in 1983; phase two was constructed and commissioned by the administration of Ahmed Adamu Mu’azu in 2002, while phase three was constructed and commissioned in 2007 by the Isa Yuguda led administration.”

Adamu further noted that ever since then, the secretariat had never in any way whatsoever been maintained in terms of complete renovation or value addition.

He said that “the way it is now, the secretariat constitutes a very serious security risk because there is no fence, so people move from end to end without any restriction. This informed the decision of His Excellency to award the contract and it was awarded in three slots.

“Slot one is for the reconstruction of the secretariat itself – phase one, two and three, then the comprehensive repairs of the road network; the provision of electricity, and the maintenance of generators in the secretariat as well as the fencing and gatehouse.”

In the same vein, the Commissioner of Power, Science and Technology, Hon. Maryam Garba Bagel, said that the council had approved the sum of N319 million for the rehabilitation of inter-town power connections for 37 communities across the state.

Bagel noted that these communities had been without electricity between two and 10 years.

She also said that another approval of N195 million was given for the purchase of transformers and transformer accessories for 200 communities across the state in the efforts to bring development down to the grassroots.

She said: “Part of approvals given at the council included two from the Ministry of Power, Science and Technology; one of such approvals is for the rehabilitation of inter-town power connections for 37 communities across the state.

“This is as a result of many requests we have received from these communities that have been without electricity for about two to 10 years. Some of these communities had been cut-off from electricity due to windstorms that they suffered during the past two administrations.

“So, because of that, His Excellency graciously approved that these communities should be reconnected with the power lines.” 

Bagel also noted that this was in line with the governor’s campaign promises, affirming that the project would be executed through direct labour by the ministry in order to cut down expenses, going by the current high costs of electricity products.

She further disclosed that “another approval granted by His Excellency is for the supply of transformers and their accessories to meet the demand by many communities. The ministry has received over 200 requests from many communities both urban and rural for these items.”

According to her, the supply of the transformers and their accessories were set at the sum of N319 million, while that of the rehabilitation of the 37 communities is set at the sum of N195 million.

Earlier, the Commissioner of Information and Communications, Hon Dayyabu Chiroma, stressed that the council took all the decisions in line with the promises made by the governor aimed at making life easier for the people of the state.

Chiroma assured that the administration would continue to work for the good of the people of the state till its last day in office.