.To partner NAFDAC
Yobe State Government has signed into law the 2017 Appropriation and Finance Bills into law to enable post-insurgency development in the state.
In his address on the occasion, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam said that this year’s state budget was tagged, “Budget of Consolidation and Self-Reliance.” According to him, the budget was named such “because, in it we aimed to sustain and consolidate the tempo of executing numerous development projects geared towards realizing our goals of further placing Yobe State on the path of socii-economic, infrastructural transformation and self-reliance.”
In keeping with this, he promised to continue to lay emphasis on the revitalization of economic activities, promotion of education and agriculture, enhancement of healthcare delivery services, take proactive and radical step at addressing infrastructural needs like road, water supply and electrification drive.
Other benefits of the budget, according to him, include taking further steps towards poverty alleviation, job creation and economic empowerment programmes among others.
“In 2017 finance and appropriation provide for a total expenditure of N69,389,317,000, implying that the total budget size remains the same as presented.
“Out of this figure the total sum of N40,654,454,000 will be earmarked for recurrent services while the sum of N28,734,863,000 is devoted to cover capital expenditure,” he said.
Responding, the Speaker of the Yobe State House of Assembly, Adamu Dala Dogo, called on all stakeholders to continue to place emphasis on fiscal discipline and strict budgetary control through adherence to fiscal instructions, transparency, accountability, probity and good governance.
Meanwhile, Yobe State government will partner with the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to achieve the agency’s mandate of eliminating substandard and counterfeit foods and drugs and other products regulated by the agency.
Governor Ibrahim Gaidam spoke when the NAFDAC Director General, Mrs. Yetunde Oni, visited the Government House, Damaturu.
The governor described as “paramount” the need to address the challenges of substandard and counterfeit drugs, given the question of difficult terrain and the porous borders that Yobe shares with Niger Republic.
The governor also said that the disastrous and unfortunate activities of Boko Haram insurgents witnessed in the state recently might have been influenced by the use of illicit drugs as some of the exhibits recovered from some of the insurgents by security agents seemed to suggest.
Gaidam urged NAFDAC to sensitize the public on the perils of patronizing drug hawkers and take decisive steps to address the problems of drug abuse and street hawking of drugs in the state.
The governor also called on NAFDAC to undertake more research and proffer ways to help farmers in the state preserve their farm produce.
Responding, the NAFDAC boss assured the governor that because the activities of her agency impacts the life of every person living in the country, it would continue to fight the problems of substandard and counterfeit drugs and all other items regulated by NAFDAC.
Oni solicited for more support from the state government and appealed for the establishment of a state task force to work with all stakeholders at the grassroots level to address all concerns with regard to fake drugs and drug abuse, among others.
She also pledged to help train farmers in the state on how to store and preserve their farm produce and how to make sure that they use and sell them in a safe and clean way.
