Bauchi gets 50m dollar ADB infrastructural support

From: Ruth David, Bauchi

The African Development Bank, AfDB, has approved the sum of two hundred and fifty million dollars for developmental projects in the North East.

The Bauchi state Commissioner of Water Resources, Alhaji Muhammad Ghali Abdulhamid revealed this to newsmen on his one year anniversary as a member of the state executive council.

He said that out of the amount, fifty million dollars was allocated to Bauchi state which will be used for infrastructural development in the state.

According to him, the money would be used in education, water, local government, health and other key sectors.

The commissioner also disclosed that Governor Muhammad Abubakar has approved the commencement of water projects in the twelve local government areas that are not beneficiaries of UNICEF’s intervention in the state through direct labor.

Alhaji Abdulhamid said the present administration in the state has paid its counterpart fund of one hundred and forty million Naira to UNICEF which paved the way for the execution of many projects in the state.

According to him, UNICEF has added two more local government areas among the beneficiaries of its programmes in the state which makes the number of the benefitting areas ten.

Speaking on efforts by the state government to improve the supply of water in the state, he said that over twelve million Naira was expended on the repairs of water facilities in Bauchi, Azare and Misau since the inception of the administration. He further said nine hundred and eighty hand pumps were repaired while eight hundred and forty new ones were sunk across the state during the period under review.

Regarding on the third urban world bank scheme, the commissioner said that Bauchi was among states to benefit from a seventy two million dollars grant for the expansion of water pipes to new settlements in the urban areas of the state.

According to him, every consumer of water will be metered for easy billing by the State Water Board.