By Danjuma Àttah, Gombe
Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has promised that his administration will dedicate its remaining two years in office to make the State stronger, more prosperous and better positioned for the future.
He gave the assurance in a statewide broadcast to the people of the State Thursday morning to mark the administration’s six years in office.
According to the Governor, “we recognize that the curtain is gradually drawing on my time as Governor, with 75% of the time already spent”, promising to dedicate the remaining two years in strengthening what was started six years ago.
He assured that, “In the coming two years, we will intensify our efforts to solidify Gombe’s strategic advantages in commerce, agriculture, and renewable energy.
“We will strengthen our institutions to sustain transparency and good governance, and we will continue to empower our youth with the skills and opportunities they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world”, he emphasized.
The Governor explained that the foundation the administration has laid is strong, but pointed out that there’s still some work to do.
“Let us move forward with the same unity, determination, courage and resilience that brought us this far.
“Together, we will exceed every expectation and build a Gombe State that shines as a beacon of hope and progress in the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, he maintained.
Outlining areas of resounding progress which the administration vows to do even more, Governor Inuwa listed sectors such as education, health, agriculture, environment and infrastructure among many others.
He said, “When we began this journey six years ago, we promised to transform Gombe into a model of development, and today, that promise has become a reality. Across all sectors and within every corner of our state, the evidence of progress is undeniable”.
Listing few achievements made in the health sector alone, Governor Inuwa said, “In 2020, we launched an ambitious healthcare revitalization program, successfully delivering one fully equipped Primary Healthcare Center in each of our 114 political wards, and recruited 440 PHC workers and 145 midwives who are strategically posted to underserved communities in order to ensure safe deliveries.
“We recently embarked on the second phase of the program, which will add another 114 fully functional PHCs -bringing the total to 228 modern primary healthcare facilities across the state.
“We undertook a comprehensive upgrade and remodelling of the Gombe Specialist Hospital, extensive renovations of General Hospitals in Bajoga and Kaltungo, and the construction of a state-of-the-art General Hospital in Kumo – which has been graciously elevated to a Federal Medical Center by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“To address critical manpower shortages in the health sector, we established a 1000-capacity School of Nursing Sciences. The Gombe State Contributory Health Scheme (Go-Health) has so far enrolled over 369,817 beneficiaries, including about 100,000 vulnerable citizens who are receiving free healthcare coverage.
“We further strengthened our health system through strategic institutions like the Hospitals Management Board, Gombe State Pharmaceutical Supply Company Limited (Go-Pharma), and the Gombe State Drugs and Medical Supplies Management Agency (GODMA).
“These coordinated interventions have produced great results, leading to more than twofold increase in immunization coverage from 18% in 2018 to 49% in 2023 as reported by the National Demographic and Health Survey, thus transforming Gombe into a national benchmark for healthcare reforms”, the Governor hinted.
End.
