By Umar Usman Duguri
The Bauchi State Government has assured that it would beat the Wednesday, 31 December, 2025 deadline for the digitization of its owned media outfit, Bauchi Radio Corporation (BRC) and Bauchi Television Stations (BATV).
“This was the ratification of the approval earlier given by the State Executive Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, and we are very sure by the special grace of God, Bauchi would reach and beat the deadline”, the state Economic Adviser, Hon. Yahuza Adamu who stood in for the Commissioner at the council meeting’s post media briefing told the press.
The state Commissioner of Information and Communication, Shehu Usman Shehu also gave the assurance that, “The State Executive Council (SEC) has approved for completion of the digitization of the State-owned media, the BRC and BATV so as to beat the deadline of December 31st, 2025”.
Adamu, an immediate past state Head of Service, also said that at the council meeting he presented a memo for the recapitalization of Yankari Savings & Loans Ltd, and recalled that Yankari has been a long standing microfinance institution operating in the state.
The Economic Adviser stated further that, “Because of the dynamics of the financial markets, there were so many requirements, out of which is the gradual upgrade of the capital base. So of the importance of this financial institution, the state government has approved the recapitalization of the bank with the sum of N900 million”.
Alh. Yahuza Adamu explained that the amount is not only enough, but it would also enable the bank to expand and affect the general economic wellbeing of the people of Bauchi state through its normal banking services.
Four Commissioners held the council meeting’s post press briefing, including that of Special Duties and Rural Development, Hon. Farouk Moustapha who revealed that he presented a memo to meeting that ratified award of contract for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of eight different link roads measuring 38.6km at a total cost of slightly over N9 billion,
Hon Farouk Moustapha gave the roads as N1.9 billion drainage construction on 25km Mainamaji – Kuka – Badara – Pali, Azare – Charachara – Ragwammakwanshi; N1.3 billion water spur at Katagum – Jama’are axis of Kano – Maiduguri dual carriageway, among others.
The council meeting’s post media briefing was also informed the boosting of the morale of doctors and healthcare workers in the civil service with the approval for the implementation of new scheme of service to them in which CONHESS and CON-MESS salary scales were reviewed 100 percent upward.
The package, according to the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Sani Mohammed Dambam, apart from the 100 percent upward review implementation of CON-MESS and CONHESS salary scale, is the implementation of promotion of the healthcare workers, as recommended by a committee, thereby making them the at par with their colleagues in federal service, or even better than them.
These approvals and ratification, the Commissioner further explained, followed consideration of the recommendations of a Special Review Committee set up to assess the financial implications of a new scheme of service for healthcare workers in the state.
In addition, the Commissioner revealed that the state has peculiar allowances to the healthcare workers which are usually not found in the federal government health scheme that included outside posting allowances introduced to encourage healthcare workers to stay in the underserved communities where their services are most needed.
The decision by the government to introduce the salary new scale, the commissioner emphasized, was driven by the need to retain skilled medical personnel, improve healthcare delivery, and curb the brain-drain from the state healthcare subsector.
He explained that the hitherto non implementation of the promotion is one of the reasons many of the health workers are either leaving the state or are not being motivated enough and the committee quantified these categories of workers numbered over 2, 000 both at state and local government levels.
