THE need to stimulate the socio-economic growth and development of Gombe State has been the cardinal objective of Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo right from the day he declared interest in the governorship of the state. Accordingly, all the projects embarked upon since assumption of office on May 29,2011 have been tailored in that direction.

Therefore, it will not be out of place to say the man of the people in him is by the nature of these projects brought to bear because each one is conceptualized along the lines of job creation. Justifying this is the  proposed International Conference Centre.

This bankable project is designed to seat over 1,000 people in the main hall, with an exhibition hall, three syndicate rooms and several shops for lease. It would upon completion rank second to none in this part of the country, both in terms of aesthetic value and economic viability.

The project, according to the consultant, would also be finished with a 150-bed ultra-modern hotel annexed to it. It would both serve as accommodation to guests to the centre and general hospitality needs of visitors to the state. The two-in-one fold venture is earmarked to attract the sum of N 3.2 billion out of which N 1 billion has already been set aside.

Other closely knit projects are comprehensive motor park and petroleum tankers’ garage. The plan is to bring under one umbrella all the motor parks scattered about the state capital, including the state transport corporation popularly referred to as Gombe Line to make for easy accessibility to all potential users, especially the commuters.

Dubbed the best in Black Africa, the motor park which is to be completed with all the necessary ancillaries would be a money spinner for government and source of employment to many. “And because there will be proper documentations of persons and movements, it will also take care of security risks associated with proliferation of parks across the metropolis in that the issue of missing persons and goods will not be there,” said Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo at the occasion of receiving the design from the consultants.

The 150-truck capacity tankers’ garage on the other hand is mainly constructed for petroleum tankers that patronise the Petroleum Products Marketing Company’s depot at the Gombe metropolis gateway. When it becomes operational, all the menaces and rowdiness caused by heavy duty tankers parking on the road sides would be history and the people would be better for it.

From the models and drawings presented to the Governor, coupled with the locations earmarked for them, each of these project will no doubt bring out the unknown aesthetic nature of the town.

But more importantly, the projects are aimed at employment creation for the teeming population of the state and revenue generation for government whose ultimate aspiration is to create alternative and lucrative source of income to augment what accrues to the state from the Federation accounts.

Needless to say the projects are equally self-sustaining – the type any investor would put his money on and go to sleep because of the assurance of security and quick returns on the investment.

Talking about their contribution to beautifying and enhancing the socio-economic frontiers of Gombe State, the best of the beauty the conference centre, mega motorpark and heavy duty trucks garage can radiate would be tantamount to winking in the dark in the absence of good network of roads. It was on the basis this premise that a good number of roads have been awarded for either reconstruction or fresh construction in the state capital and beyond to further stimulate the economy of the state.

These multi-billion Naira maze of roads cut across nearly 120 kilometres, representing a total of 34 roads among the well over 40 that the Dankwambo-led administration intends to deliver to the state by the end of this fiscal year. Some of them have been completed and already put into use while others are in various stages of completion, with works yet to commence on a very negligible few.

Interestingly, these roads have been received as answer to prayers by members of the communities they pass through. This is because they were carefully selected with due consideration for the population density as well as the business and agricultural viability of the areas.

Considering the fact that it is a holistic development strategy, Gombe State government is positive that leaving out the educational sector would both be suicidal and counter-productive. To this end, efforts are being made to overhaul the academic staff of primary and secondary schools as well as renovate and reconstruct deserving schools across the state.

However, some schools have been selected for a complete turn around – to have old structures renovated and new ones constructed with the aim of making model schools out of them. But on a general note, day schools under the present administration in Gombe State will no longer exceed students population of 1,500 students, while the capacity of their boarding counterparts have been slashed down to 1,000 students per school. And by implication, some few more entirely new schools will be constructed.

As the saying goes, a healthy society is a wealthy society. And a society like Gombe State where the dearth of qualified manpower has from time immemorial posed a burdensome impediment to providing purposeful healthcare services to the people,  is not in anyway close to a healthy one.

But as a means towards ending this malady, the Dankwambo administration constituted a committee to facilitate the full accreditation of the State School of Nursing and Midwifery and the School of Health Technology.

The long list of inadequacies unravelled by the committee culminated in Gombe State government’s decision to relocate both schools very close to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, in the state capital so that the advantages of the all encompassing healthcare facility can be fully exploited in the training of students, having obtained the necessary permission from the Federal Ministry of Health.

Mr. M. L. ISMAIL, a political analyst, wrote from Gombe metropolis, Gombe State.