The Bwari Area Council has concluded plans to establish a fish pond in Kubwa in 2018, to enhance fish production in the district.
The Chairman, Bwari Area Council, Mr Musa Dikko said this while presenting the council’s 2018 Budget Proposal, tagged: “Budget of Consolidation; the People’s Budget” to the Council Legislative on Thursday in Abuja.
According to him, a “suitable land” has been secured for the project.
He also added that the council was at the verge of completing a Farmer’s Market at Ushafa, along the Ushafa-Dutse road, to reduce the risk of buying and selling on the road.
The Chairman said that the benefit of establishing the market, goes beyond economic consideration but to mitigate against the danger traders are being exposed to at the Ushafa Junction along Bwari-Jere Highway.
He said that the council, in 2017 under the Agriculture and Natural Development sector, had been able to boost food production, as well as diversify the economy by purchasing and dispensing assorted farm input to farmers at subsidised rate of 80 per cent.
He said: “In addition, a full repair of one of the two council’s grounded tractors has been carried out, while repair on the second tractor has commenced and would be completed as soon as the 2018 budget is approved.
” We have also established a Demonstration Farm at Kawu where improved varieties of crops such as rice and corn planted have been harvested. ”
Speaking on Works, Land and Housing sector, Dikko said that in spite of the challenging state of funds in the council, his administration was able to reactivate a motorised borehole at the Council’s secretariat.
Others, he listed are the rehabilitation of access roads within communities of the council, including Bwari township road, maintainance and repairs of official vehicles of both the council and that of security units of the council.
Dikko noted that the council has also expanded its Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) policy with a view to make the council self reliant.
Some of the projects, he said, the PPP was able to embark on in 2017 are at the verge of completion.
” Constructions of Kukwaba Motor Transit park/ Market in Kubwa is at 45 per cent completion, Mpape II Market is at 40 per cent completion and Maitama Village Market, Kubwa is at 65 per cent completion.
” Construction of Dawaki Electronics and Telecommunications market in Dutse is at 73 per cent completion and Shagari Market, Dei-Dei is at 35 per cent completion.
” It is our hope that most of these projects would be completed before the end of the year to signal a new era in the Council’s financial vibrancy.”
The Chairman also noted that the Council has significantly reached out to all its communities across the 10 wards through the HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT ) programme under the Health sector, where 295, 537 persons were counseled.
He said that the sector, while working with development partners was able to implement five rounds of Supplementary Immunisation Activities covering 880,857 children in the council.
Dikko also said that the council was able to launch a Committee on Food and Nutrition to meet the needs of children in the communities.
According to him, the council was able to also distribute Rapid Diagnostic kits for malaria to a number of communities in five different wards.
He added that the council was also able to acquire and administer vaccines to control outbreak of meningitis in some parts of the council.
Dikko also said that a Community Based Health Insurance Scheme has been initiated with 163 registered participants in Kogo community, through the support of Centre for Health Education, Economic Rehabilitation and Social Security.
The Chairman also stated that plans are under way to revamp the Pottery Centre, located at Ushafa, in order to boost tourism potentials of the council.
This, he said, would go alongside a befitting Park and Recreation centre, under the PPP arrangement, in order to complement existing historical sites in the council area.
