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• Says inflation already being addressed
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Governor of Gombe State, Inuwa Yahaya, has assured that his administration will keep creating an atmosphere that encourages businesses to prosper in the state.
The state rose to the top of the 36 states in Nigeria’s socioeconomic index, compiled by an independent organization and offers information on the socioeconomic performance and risk profiles of the states.
Gombe State recently emerged the best in Nigeria with a PSPI Score of 0.80, ranking 1st with an AAA rating, indicating an excellent performance. On the index, Gombe is followed by Jigawa, Ekiti and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which occupying 2nd 3rd and 4th positions in that order.
This is contained in the 2023 National Assessment Report by State Performance Index (SPPI), an independent organization which provides insights into the socio-economic performance and risk profiles of Nigerian states. Gombe was rated high in most of the socio-economic parameters that were considered, which include: economic potentials, socioeconomic performance and risk management.
At regional level, the report indicated that Gombe State stands out as the top-performing state in the North-East affected by Boko Haram Insurgency. “Despite being in the least position in terms of socio-economic potential, the Gombe State government; efficiently utilized its limited resources to drive significant socio-economic performance,” the report noted.
Furthermore, the report attributed the high rating of Gombe state to “the continuity in government, ongoing investments in infrastructure, alignment with federal initiatives, economic diversification, and strategic agricultural programmes,” underscoring the role of the state government in being catalyst for turning around the fortunes of the state and putting it on the sustainable path of growth and development.
Speaking to State House Correspondents on Friday, after he met with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Yahaya said: “There is no magic about how we emerged as the best among its peers on the socio-economic index, there is no miracle it is just commitment, hard work and dedication.
“Over the time, since I became Governor, I made sure that I maintain focus and a clear vision. We made sure we consistently monitored the progress of the State economically, vis-à-vis the needs of the people and the mood of the country.
“So all those things joined together gave us victory. Socio-economic development means every aspect of human development and I am very happy that effort we are making in Gombe is recognized and we remain focused and will consistently continue to deliver on the needs of our people.”
The governor addressed the pressing issues of food scarcity and inflation, stating that while they are not unique to Nigeria, the Gombe State administration is working with the federal government to implement drastic measures to bring about a return to normalcy.
“Food crisis is not only prevalent in Nigeria it is obtained all over the world because of the challenges confronting the world but our own has its own peculiarities because of the insecurity that has bedeviled the North; especially North-West and North-East.
“That notwithstanding, we are making serious efforts to ensure that we restore normalcy by providing security to enable the people go back to their farms. So we have our own strategies for both the short medium and long term. Each State has its own but we have key into that of the federal government in order to ensure that very soon we overcome the challenges,” he added.
