#BAHAPlenary
Summary of proceedings during the plenary of the Bauchi State House of Assembly presided over by the Speaker, Rt Hon. Abubakar Y Suleiman, today, 5th September, 2023:
1. Votes and proceedings of Wednesday 30th August, 2023 were adopted as amended by the Honourable House as moved and seconded by the Majority Leader Hon. Saleh Hodi Jibir (Disina Constituency) and the Minority Leader Hon. Bala Abdu Rishi (Lame Constituency).
2. The Speaker announced that the Deputy Speaker Hon. Jamilu Umaru Dahiru lost his uncle and the Honourable House will proceed to the resident of the deceased for condolences after plenary.
3. Member representing Sade Constituency Hon. Lawal Dauda moved a motion calling on the Executive Arm of Government to initiate process of liasing with National Assembly to commission abandoned Constituency Projects executed by the former members of the National Assembly.
Leading debate on the motion, Hon. Lawal Dauda said that there are constituency projects lying idle across the 20 Local Government Areas since 2003 to date, therefore there the need for the Government to embark on initiating the process of commissioning these projects for the benefit of the people.
According to him, the State has benefitted from huge amount of constituency projects ranging from schools, maternity, clinics, dispensaries centres, ICT centres, Federal Training Institutions, Town Hall Centres, and lots more and some of these facilities are at completion level or already completed while others are dilapidated while some are vandalized.
He added that more worrisome, some of the infrastructures are completed and
stocked with modern facilities but remained all along under lock and key, thus it is in the interest of peace, and to sustain the Government policy
of bringing dividends of democracy to the grassroots, that he decided to move
this motion so that the projects will be put to proper use.
He therefore urged the Honourable House should to mandate all Hon. Members to as a matter
of urgency, forward details of all Constituency Projects lying idle in
their constituency to the Hon. House so that same will be forwarded to the State Government to liase with the relevant Authorities at the Federal level and the National Assembly with a view to commissioning and hand over all the Constituency Projects lying idle across the 20 Local Government Areas since 2003 to date to the relevant Bauchi State Government Agencies for the benefit of the people of the State.
The Speaker commended the Member for moving the motion because there are several projects executed by the Members of the National Assembly lying without proper put use.
Also contributing, Hon. Dr. Nasiru Ahmed Ala (Madara/Chinade Constituency) said that the motion is timely and importance however the mover of the motion should have searched the projects and attach the list with the motion.
However the Speaker that since he couldn't do that the Honourable Members can list such projects in their Constituencies as the mover requested in the motion.
Hon. Musa Wakili Nakwada (Bogoro Constituency) said that there are a lot uncompleted projects, therefore it is also good to initiate the process of completion of uncompleted projects then Commissioning will follow.
He said that in Bogoro Constituency there is electrification of Bogoro to Gobbiya and a rural road project initiated by a former Member of the National Assembly but the projects are uncompleted, thus the motion is timely.
Hon. Bala Abdullahi Dan (Duguri/Gwana Constituency) said that the Members of the State House of Assembly can laise with the current Members of the National Assembly especially returning Members, to have the projects completed and commissioned.
Hon. Sa'idu Suleiman Darazo (Darazo Constituency) said that the Honourable House can write to the National Assembly to draw their attention 9n the completed and uncompleted projects so that they can be completed and put to use. He said there are examples even in Bauchi State where State Government projects under SUBEB were executed without commissioning and put to use but put under keys.
Hon. Sa'idu Suleiman suggested that the Honourable House can laise with the National Assembly and Honourable Members should look around their constituencies and list all the projects so that the House will take next action.
Hon. Ibrahim Tanko Burra (Burra Constituency) suggested that every Member of the State Assembly should liase with member of the National Assembly representing his Constituency to handover any completed project in any Constituency to the State Government
Majority Leader Hon. Saleh Hodi Jibir {Disina Constituency) said that they are partners in progress with the Members of the National Assembly, they should discuss with their colleagues in the National Assembly on how to go about the projects.
Hon. Sa'idu Suleiman Darazo said that nobody is asking the State Government to take over the project but laise with the Federal Government and National Assembly to put the projects into use. According to him, in Darazo/Ganjuwa Federal Constituency there are projects such as Police Academy and NTA Darazo completed but not commissioned and put to proper use and though the State Government can't take over but can facilitate the proper usage of the projects.
The Honourable House adopted the motion.
4. Member representing Jama'are Constituency Hon. Mubarak Haruna moved a motion calling on the Executive Arm of Government to dualise a 2-kilometre road from Veterinary Roundabout to Stadium Roundabout and a 3-kilometre Jama'are -Yola road in Jama'are Constituency.
Leading a debate on the motion, Hon. Mubarak Haruna said that the Veterinary Roundabout to Stadium Roundabout road is a high traffic and very busy road in Jama'are town and it was once a highway before the construction of dualized Kano-Maiduguri road that passed through Jama'are which is currently the road is the major link between Jama'are Town and Kano-Maiduguri Highway.
"Mr. Speaker sir, as my Honourable Colleagues will all testify, Jama'are is one of the emerging cities in Bauchi State with a very large population of people who engaged in various activities to earn a living. This road is always congested with people and high traffic due to massive vehicular movements. In many instances accidents are recorded on the road because of its busy nature. Therefore, the dualization of this road to control traffic and beautify the city is of paramount importance.
"I believe it's based on this consideration that the Executive Governor of Bauchi State His Excellency Senator Bala Abdulkadir Muhammad made a commitment during his reelection campaign that he will dualize the road if reelected. I therefore once again bring this important matter to the attention of the Honourable House and the Executive Arm." He said.
Hon. Mubarak Haruna added that the Jama'are-Yola road links Yola, Digiza, Jabbori, Sabon Gari and many other towns villages to Jama'are, the headquarters of the Local Government and hough the road is not long, going to Jama'are from these towns and villages is always a nightmare because of the dilapidated nature of the road.
According to him, people of these areas have suffered for many years on this road especially in the rainy season. The road is always flooded with water during rainy season making it impassable throughout the season and currently there is no movement from and into these towns because the road is flooded by water, making it impossible for vehicular movements.
He further explained that many people have lost their lives year in year out while trying to cross the water to reach to Jama'are and other destinations and communities on the road are farmers who produce agricultural commodities that can feed the State, however lack of road for easy transportation is halting their development and attainment of their potentials in agriculture and commerce in which their social activities and access to healthcare and education are badly affected by lack of a motorable road.
Hon. Mubarak Haruna noted that the hope of these communities to have this road had risen during the 2023 electioneering campaign when the Executive Governor of Bauchi State His Excellency Senator Bala Abdulkadir Muhammad made a promise, when he visited Jama'are Local Government, that he will look into the request for the construction of the road when reelected because of its significance, therefore, as their representative it's pertinent to once again extend this request to His Excellency for the construction of the road.
Based on this submission, the Member requested the Honourable House urged the Honourable House to request the Executive Arm of Government to dualise the 2-kilometre road from Veterinary Roundabout to Stadium Roundabout in Jama'are in order to ease movement, control high traffic and beautify the City, construct a 3-kilometre Jama'are-Yola Road in order to ease transportation, open up rural communities, enhance agriculture, socioeconomic activities and access to secondary and tertiary healthcare and education and provide for funds for the construction of the two roads in the 2024 budget estimates.
The Honourable House unanimously adopted the motion.
5. Member representing Duguri/Gwana Constituency Hon. Bala Abdullahi Dan moved a motion calling on the Executive Arm of Government to reboard Government Secondary School Futuk to a full pledged boarding school.
Leading a debate on the motion, Hon. Bala Abdullahi Dan said that Government Secondary School Futuk is one of the oldest Boarding Secondary Schools that was established in 1978-1983 in Alkaleri Local Government Area with the enrolment of about 1000 pupils.
"The former Alkaleri Local Govenment has four (4) Districts
thus: - Kirfi, Pali, Duguri and Gwana and all the aforementioned districts
have boarding Secondary Schools located in each of the District
headquarters. GSS Futuk later collapsed and was deboarded by the previous administration to Government Day
Secondary School. In the absence of Boarding School in Gwana District
people preferred to take their children to either Kashere, Kaltungo, or Gombe in Gombe State." He said.
Hon. Bala Abdullahi Dan explained that though the school was deboarded, it had produced highly celebrated and well-placed people in different organizations within and outside the country.
According to him, the situation of the school is unbearable because as of now the Government Day Secondary School Futuk has a reasonable number of students that are required for converting it to Boarding School.
He therefore requested that the government to kindly reconstruct and re-board the school so that their children
can acquire reasonable knowledge.
While seconding the motion Hon. Habibu Umar (Kirfi Constituency) said that people are taking their children to Kashere and Government. The reason is that it lacks required number and now it has the required number and looking at the personalities that the school produced, the State Government should consider the motion.
The Honourable House adopted the motion.
7. The Honourable House adjourned to tomorrow 6th, September, 2023 as moved and seconded by the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader.
Signed:
Abdul Ahmad Burra
Spokesperson to the Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly.
5th September, 2023.
📷 Surajo Moli & Ibrahim Miji