By Danjuma Attah, Gombe
No fewer than nine schools, fourteen health centres, are to be specially upgraded with climate resilient features in five Local Government Areas of Gombe State, courtesy of a collaboration between the Gombe State Government and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).
The benefitting LGA’s and the number of the facilities to be upgraded are: Dukku, two schools, two health centres; Kwami, two schools, three health centres; Yamaltu/Deba, two schools, three health centres; Funakaye, two schools, three health centres while one school, three health centres will benefit from Billiri LGA.
The project, which is expected to be completed within the next seven months (May to December 2026), is a UK-Funded ‘Climate Resilient Infrastructure for Services’ (CRIBS) programme, according to Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, UNICEF Chief of Bauchi Field office.
Apart from the upgrade of these facilities, there will also be deliberate efforts towards strengthening and enhancing improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). 
Dr Nuzhat, in her remarks at the official launch of the projects in the Conference Hall of the office of the Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Manasseh Daniel Jatau, who presided over the signing of the contract by various contractors handling the different facilities, commended the commitment of Gombe State Government in its efforts towards children’s health and education adding that it was the bases for the selection of Gombe State.
According to her, UNICEF is always working for the safety of children, their well-being and providing them with the best potentials to grow into better individuals who can contribute towards the development of the society which is the reason for the intervention.
She said, there are thousands of people who cannot reach health facilities and thousands of children who are out of school while there are also hundreds of health facilities and schools which don’t have water. She stressed that “Water is a must for children, proper sanitation is even more important for their health.
“So if all these things are not there, we would never be able to raise our children in well-protected environment. So CRIBS is a dream for all our health facilities, all our schools should have WASH, sanitation and structured in a way that our children can stay safe, our mothers can give birth to the children in safe environment and our newborns are safe in any space of climate change”, she emphasized.
She also appealed to the Government, traditional rulers, security agents, civil society organizations and all stakeholders to ensure the maintenance of the facilities while praising the efforts of Gombe State Government in the WASH sector. She also urged the contractors to strictly adhere to project specifications to ensure durability and sustainability.
In his remarks, the Gombe State Deputy Governor, Manasseh Daniel Jatau, commended UNICEF for its continued support to the State which he added had been impactful and beneficial.
He described the CRIBS project as timely, considering the growing challenges posed by climate change noting that, the initiative aligns with adaptation efforts aimed at helping communities cope with challenging climatic conditions for sustainable development.
He expressed satisfaction with the project, designed to improve schools and primary health care centres to withstand climate related challenges pointing out that the State Government remains open to constructive criticisms and partnership that will improve the living conditions of the people.
The Deputy Governor also noted that some of the State Government’s initiatives including monthly sanitation exercise and the renovation of schools, were influenced by recommendations from UNICEF.
He then underscored the importance of water supply and sanitation to public health assuring that the administration is committed to ensuring steady water supply across the State before the end of its tenure in 2027.
Other highlight of the flag of ceremony included the handing over of the implementation documents to the contractors with the UNICEF Education Specialist, Abdurrahman Ibrahim Ado presenting the overview and scope of the CRIBS project. He highlighted the criteria for selecting the benefiting schools and health facilities as well as the implementation process and project time line.
End.
