From Muawuya Bala Idris, Katsina
The Katsina State Government says it has spent over N74.9 billion on road construction in the last two years under its Urban Renewal Project.
Deputy Governor Faruk Lawal Jobe disclosed this at a high-level consultation on security and governance attended by prominent citizens of the state.
He said the project was designed to decongest the metropolitan area, adding that the government had paid N3.7 billion in compensation to those affected by the ongoing road works.
Jobe also highlighted achievements in healthcare, noting that 260 out of the targeted 361 primary healthcare centres had been renovated under Governor Dikko Umaru Radda’s Building Your Future policy. He added that general hospitals had also been upgraded with modern facilities, while a pharmaceutical production centre, dialysis and diagnostic centres were established.
On job creation, the deputy governor said 36,903 jobs were provided through the recruitment of teachers, security watch corps, vigilantes and other categories.
According to him, the administration had spent N24 billion to settle unpaid gratuities of retirees, in addition to ensuring prompt payment of salaries and pensions for both state and local government workers.
He said the education sector had also received a boost, with the construction of 160 new classrooms, rehabilitation of 258 others, and training of 18,000 teachers. Three new model schools were built, while 152 schools were upgraded under the AGILE project.
Jobe revealed that the government spent N6.18 billion on scholarships for 174,451 students, covering both local and foreign institutions.
In the agricultural sector, he said 400,000 bags of fertiliser were procured and distributed annually, alongside 400 tractors and 4,000 irrigation pumps to support farmers.