Vice President Mohammed Namadi Samblo, has said that the North-West, especially Kaduna State has benefitted from the Transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Sambo stated this during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus meeting held Saturday in Kaduna.
While commending the stakeholders for upholding the enviable position the party has occupied in the state and Kaduna being a PDP state, the VP highlighted some of the benefits of the transformation agenda in Kaduna State.
He said “it is important that I use this opportunity to intimate you on the progress being made in Kaduna state, the North-West and the North in general in terms of positive development”.
He told the stakeholders that “the Gurara and Galma dam projects, when fully completed will impact on the socio-economic life of our people.
Apart from the raw water that is already being enjoyed in Abuja, the 30mw Gurara dam hydro-power generation plant has been completed while Mr. President has approved the sum of N37 billion to complete the 132kv transmission line in Kaduna industrial area and the utilization of about 10mw at the catchment area of the dam.
It will also provide 6000 hectares of land for irrigation scheme and a graduate agricultural training school is to be established in the area”.
Sambo stated that the road construction to connect Gurara to Kachia is on-going, while a large scale fisheries activities and tourism facilities are available at the dam, adding that the contract for Itisi multi-purpose dam has been completed and on completion of the work, it will generate 40mw of electricity and about 30,000 hectares of land for irrigation.
He also highlighted that work has reached completion stage on the 215mw thermal power plant and would be commissioned this year, stressing that the Zungeru and Manbila dams when completed would generate 7000mw and 3050mw of electricity respectively.
On the transport sector, Sambo said the Kaduna-Abuja fast-rail line has reached advanced stage of completion, noting that the standard gauge rail lines that cut across several villages of Kaduna State would be complete and commissioned this year.
He also noted that with the opening up of the Kaduna-Jere-Abuja road, Kaduna has joined the league of contiguous states to the FCT and this and availability of electricity, will make Kaduna the hub of economic activity in the North.
He noted the tremendous work being done in the education sector – the Almajiri education, the university system, which he said nine out of the twelve universities are from the North. Also mentioned was the progress in the agricultural sector with about 1.1 trillion of rice produced locally.
Sambo urged members of the PDP in the state to shun all overtures by those who are bent on destroying the party and be unified in the quest to strengthen the party that has made its mark and improved the well-being of people.
In his remark, Governor Murkhtar Ramalan Yero, said he has been working on the challenge to stabilize democracy and unite the people of the state as a result of the death of former Governor Patrick Yakowa.
He lamented that he inherited a budget shortfall of N89 billion in 2013 and debt profile of N63 billion since 1963 and now the debt has been reduced to N43 billion and despite this, some landmark achievements have been done in the areas of road construction, agriculture, education, health and others.
He intimated the stakeholders that the state will embark on revenue generation in order to drive development in 2014. Yero urged the people to work together to make a strong party in the State.
Earlier, the State PDP Chairman, A. G. Haruna stated that despite the challenges and the overblown media report of defectors, PDP was still strong in Kaduna state and pledged the peoples’ support for Mr. President, the Vice President and the party in general.
