By Ali Rabiu Ali, Dutse
Jigawa State Governor, Malam Umar Namadi, has warned local government council chairmen and senior officials in the state against absenteeism, directing them to remain at their duty posts and discharge their responsibilities diligently.
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The governor issued the warning after an inspection tour of projects across six local government areas of the state, where he said he discovered that chairmen of about three councils were not available in their offices during the visit.
According to Namadi, the inspection was undertaken with two major objectives: to assess the progress of government projects across the local government areas and to ascertain whether local government chairmen and senior officials were present at their duty posts.
“Yesterday, we went to about six local governments with twin objectives. One, to inspect our various projects in each of the local governments, and secondly, to ensure that the local government chairmen are at their offices,” the governor said.
He expressed disappointment that the team could not find some of the council chairmen and senior officials at their offices.
“Unfortunately, in about three local governments, we couldn’t get the chairman on seat, and we couldn’t get the senior officers. That is very, very bad because these are the people who are supposed to be on their seats,” Namadi said.
He described the development as unacceptable and said the affected officials would be cautioned to take their responsibilities seriously.
The governor, however, expressed satisfaction with the progress and quality of projects inspected during the tour, saying the government was on course in implementing its 12-Point Agenda for Greater Jigawa.
Namadi said he was particularly impressed by the scale of some of the projects, noting that their magnitude exceeded his expectations.
Among the projects inspected were the Faculty of Medicine project at Sule Lamido University, Kafin Hausa, hostel projects and principal officers’ quarters, as well as the remodelling of General Hospital Hadejia and the Senior Premier Secondary School in Hadejia.
He also inspected road construction projects and other major infrastructure projects in Hadejia, Kafin Hausa and neighbouring areas, saying they were progressing according to schedule.
The governor further mentioned the remodelling of the Science Secondary School and the development of new science and technical colleges, including projects in Auyo, as some of the projects that were progressing satisfactorily.
“Alhamdulillah, we are very happy with what we have seen. All the projects are going on course,” he said.
Namadi commended the contractors handling the projects for what he described as their commitment, adding that the quality of work observed during the inspection was impressive.
“So far, what we have seen, we are convinced that we are on course in terms of implementing our 12-Point Agenda. The contractors are doing their best, and the quality of work is also very impressive,” the governor said.
He said the ongoing inspection would enable the government to monitor projects closely, identify challenges and ensure that contractors deliver projects according to specifications and within agreed timelines.
The governor’s inspection tour is part of his administration’s efforts to strengthen monitoring and evaluation of government projects while also ensuring greater accountability at the grassroots level.
