- Distributes 26 vehicles to commissioners, 730 motorcycles to state militia
- Says any commissioner not going back home will be sacked
From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
Kebbi State Governor, Dr Nasir Idris has signed 2024 budget of over N250 billion into law.
Idris,who signed the appropriation bill at Government House during the final draft presentation to him by the Speaker of the House of Assembly,Hon. Muhammad Usman Ankwai alongside other lawmakers,said his administration would follow due process to implement the budget.
Speaking after signing the budget, the governor said: “The budget is the budget of the people and that is why we tagged it budget of infrastructure and People’s empowerment. I want to thank the House for taken their times to scrutinise the budget in all the areas and passed it.
“For the people of our state,I want to assure you that we are going to do our best to make sure that we follow due process to implement this budget. If we look at other states,when you start counting one to five, Kebbi State should be the next state which had passed the budget and signed it into law.
“Mr. Speaker,I want to tell you that,if there is any difficulty to implement this Budget,we shall run back to you. The House of Assembly is the house of people of Kebbi State.”
Idris,who insisted that his administration had promised people of the state during electioneering campaign to develop infrastructure facilities in the state,said,he would ensure he fulfilled his campaign promises.
Earlier,the Speaker of the House of Assembly,Hon.Mohammad Usman Ankwai, informed the Governor that the house had allocated significant budget to education,schools rehabilitation and construction, infrastructure facilities, health sector especially on rehabilitation of hospitals, provisions of tools and necessary equipments to the hospital as well as agriculture and empowerment of people and poverty reduction.
While distributing 26 vehicles to Commissioners and 730 motorcycles to the the vigilante, Governor Idris insisted that any Commissioner found not inter-mingle with his or her people at the grassroots,would be removed.
According to him, “we have done that of security agencies and everybody knows that if there is no peace, there cannot be meaningful development. Today,we are distributing cars to the members of the state executive. Insha Allahu,by January, vehicles of the members of the house of Assembly shall be distributed to them.
“These vehicles are for your official engagements and no Commissioner should sell it. All Commissioner should always keep in touch with their people at various Local Government Areas. They all known where they come from. All of them come from different Local Government Areas of Kebbi State.
“We are not giving you these vehicles for you to park it in Birnin Kebbi, state capital and staying here. That is why when we wanted to purchase to these vehicles,we gave you options. Initially,we all agreed to buy Hilux,but later other Commissioners give other options.
“As you can see,these vehicles are ‘tear leathers ‘. Every Commissioners should keep in touch with their people. You must ensure that you go back home to see your people and reaching out to them, not to be staying in Birnin Kebbi.
“Any Commissioner we found out not interacting with his or her people,and at the same time, staying in Birnin Kebbi,reside without going back home to interact with the people to know their problems,my administration would not hesitate to remove such Commissioner “, he said.
He added: “And you must make sure you are assisting your people
This government is assisting you. So,you should not come to Birnin Kebbi and stay. Whatever you get,go back to your people and reach out to them. This is not an era where Commissioners would be staying in Birnin Kebbi.
“Go back and intermingle with your people. Therefore, after this one,we are distributing motorcycles to vigilante according to the strength of the Local Government Area.”