By Nyahama Japhet
Governor Mohammed Umaru Jibrilla has solicited the formation of police squadron command in Mubi and an area command in Ganye to tighten security in the zones.
The Governor who was represented by his Deputy Engr. Martins Babale made the appeal when he received the Inspector General of Police IGP Ibrahim K. Idris at the Government house who was on tour of northeast to ensure strict compliance to directive of president Mohammadu Buhari to secure lives and safety of students across schools in the zone following Dapchi School girls abduction experienced in Yobe state recently.
Instead of having visiting mobile unit to assist in the area, the governor suggested that a squadron command be cited and retained as pioneer command adding that Mubi being the second largest city in the state after Yola couple with security challenges in far away villages in the area, citing the squadron command will be more impactful and as well cool down security tension among residents.
He equally appealed for establishment of area command in Ganye to address security problems arising from activities of armed bandits harbouring the Gumti/Gashaka Forest in addition to the porous nature of the twin LGAs of Ganye and Toungo bordering Cameroon and Taraba state which provide cover to criminals from within and outside the country.
He also urged the IGP to make known true identity of a top notch politician to the state alleged to be a senator arrested for printing fake party registration cards.
Earlier, the IGP Idris informed the Governor that he was in the state to assess the deployment of police officers across schools in the northeast as directed by the President Buhari following the abduction of over 110 Dapchi school girls.
Before the tour, he said he has directed police commissioners in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa to deploy police officers to secondary schools noting that the tour is to ensure safety of students while carrying out their academic activities.
So far, from schools visited he applauded the level of compliance where at least 5 officers were placed on a shift and appreciated the state government for the support given to the state officers and men of the command and assured the state government of police commitment to provide adequate security to safeguard lives and properties of schools, students and citizens in the state.
The SSG, Dr. Umar Buba Bindir disclosed that in addition to the presidents directive, the state government has made it a policy to fence all schools in the state under her watch .
In another development, Deputy Governor, Engr. Martin Babale has formally flagged off electrification of Toungo LGA after over 20 years of existence with out electricity.
Engr. Babale revealed that formally the electrification contract was under jurisdiction of the federal government and after years of non-compliance the state government decided to take up the contract to ensure the LG is connected to the national grid to enable them enjoy electricity like their counterparts across the country after years of total black out.
The State Commissioner of Rural Infrastructure and Community Development Alh. Hassan Umar Pakka revealed that the state will ensure the contractor carried out the project in accordance to specification insisting that the state will not compromise on quality.
Chairman of the LG Hon. Abdullahi Umar revealed that since creation of the LGA on 3rd December 1996 by the late Gen. Abacha, the LG was left in total darkness. Connecting the LG to the National Grid by the administration of Bindow he said will ever remain green in the memory of the LG inhabitants.
“Governor Bindow has written his name with Gold in the minds of the people of Toungo and by this project he has done for the LG, we are ready to reciprocate with our votes 4+4 is certain no campaign in Toungo LG”
Toungo according to the chairman will continue to support all meaningful programmes of government aimed at providing dividends of democracy to its people and the state at large and assured that they will cooperate fully and render every assistance needed while carrying out the electrification work.
Meanwhile Deputy Governor Engr. Martin Babale has applauded Adamawa state House of Assembly members for committing themselves to the change mantra of the Bindow led administration in the state.
Engr. Babale made the commendation during the event of distribution of empowerment facilities both food and non food items to the people of Ganye constituency by its member Hon. Alhassan Hamman Joda at palace of Gangwari Ganye.
The impact of the present administration in the state he said is felt by people at the grass roots due to support and cordial relationship existing between state executive and the state assembly members.
He thanked the member Hon. Hamman Joda for supporting his people with the empowerment facilities and urged them to reciprocate by giving the present APC administration in the LG and the state maximum cooperation.
The member, Hon. Hamman Joda while recounting the success achieved in his two and half years, thanked Governor Jibrilla Bindow for making their work at the legislative arm easier by settling their constituency project funds within first quarter of their inauguration which augmented their efforts towards given their constituents the best.
Also during the week, the Universal Basic Education Commission monitoring team on implementation of Almajiri education, paid a courtesy call on the governor at the government house Yola.
The visit according to the team leader Alh. Gaji Grema was in response to the implementation of Almajiri education in Nigeria introduced way back in 2009 to cater for the educational needs of out of school children roaming the streets larger percentage of whom he said were located in the north.
During the implementation, he said all state governors and the then vice president Namadi Sambo signed MOU binding on all states across the country to replicate the same system of education in their respective states, prompting Federal Government (FG) to support with amount worth N5b and that has resulted into establishment of 152 model schools across the country.
50 out of the 152 schools build according to Alh. Grema were located in the north. Adamawa he said benefited 10 schools stressing that 10 schools is not enough to cater for the surging number of out of school children in the state and appealed to the state government to reflect on the agreement and support the programme noting that at this critical moment in the history of the country and northeast in particular battling insurgency, living the children unschooled will further compounded the problem and urged the state government in conjunction with the universal basic education board and relevant stakeholders to support the programme to succeed in the state.
Deputy Governor Engr. Babale who represented the Governor expressed willingness of government to support the programme affirming that education of the vulnerable children is very critical.
What the northeast is going through in recent years according to Engr. Babale is a symptom of lack of education and illiteracy insisting that every child in the state must have access to education which informed the reason the state government declared state of emergency on education sector, he added.
Equally during the week, the state executive council during its meeting chaired by Deputy Governor Martin Babale resolved to continue the process of giving Adamawa state a befitting sports complex and as well as upgrading the state data base aimed at ensuring a robust data base that will help in actualizing and planning effective projects and programmes of government.
The council according to commissioner for youth and sport resolved to speed up the process of building the state stadium complex for effective sports development and participation.
The council has also observed the low enrolment of pupils into federal government collages and decided to act on a memo submitted before it by the state ministry of education on the need for each of the 21 LGAs in the state to sponsor at least 6 primary school pupils to write common entrance exams into JSS (1) one of the federal collages.
The council has also acknowledged the effort of the state ministry of works which saw the construction of 320 roads spread across the state. Barr. Lillian Stephen revealed that work is still ongoing steadily in some locations stressing that more road construction is under way.
