As part of activities lined up to mark the one-year anniversary of the Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago-led administration in Niger State, arrangements have been concluded to commission 200 CNG buses among assorted state-of-the-art vehicles purchased by the administration.
This was disclosed on Monday by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hon. Binta Mamman, during a press briefing at Government House, Minna.
The commissioner said a new era of progress and prosperity was underway, stressing that the farmer governor has sparked a transformation like never before.
She said the low-key celebration will include the commissioning of 200 CNG buses, the administering of vaccinations against human papilloma virus (HPV) to young female students, the commissioning of assorted state-of-the-art vehicles at the Trade Fair Complex, as well as a novelty football match between the state executive and the legislature, among others.
She further stated that a lecture would be held on the anniversary day, May 29, at the Justice Idris Legbo International Conference Centre by 11 a.m., adding that the activities would end with a dinner the same day at 7 p.m.
"From reconstruction and expansion of crucial roadways like the six-lane Chanchaga motorway and Minna township roads, Minna-Kateregi-Bida Road, to championing mechanised farming and the purchase of 1000 high-tech tractors worth billions of naira.
"The remarkable upgrades and innovations that showcase His Excellency's commitment and dedication to excellence include infrastructural development, education, health, the Green Economy Initiative, the transformation and renaming of Minna Airport to Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport, the purchase of 200 CNG buses to boost the transport sector, and high-tech vehicles for security agencies to curb insecurity," the Commissioner said.
She assured Nigerlites that Niger State was in a new era of progress and prosperity.
Recall that Muslim and Christian prayers have been held at various places of worship commemorating the first anniversary of the present administration in Niger State.
High level of poverty and poor parental upbringing have been described as contributing factors to child abuse in society.
The Acting Director, Niger State Child Rights Agency, Sulaiman Shehu Lapai, while speaking with our reporter as part of the activities to mark this year's Children's Day, explained that most cases of child abuse started in homes.
He said some parents withdraw their children from school for street begging and hawking.
"As parents, we must go back to the drawing board in the aspect of child upbringing because if you are privileged to go around Minna, you will see children roaming about in the street begging and hawking, and if you ask the parents, they will say there is no money to send the children to school.
"If your children cannot go to school or stay at home to learn moral lessons from their parents and the society where they belong, how would they have feelings for humanity and the society where they live? If you cannot take care of a child, don't bring him or her into the world.
"Some parents don't even know where their children are, talk more of checking on their activities, and that is why the agency is doing its best to function in spite of the challenges we are facing, to see the cases of child abuse being reduced significantly," he added.
The director further stated that the agency has been operating for four years without budget allocation, adding that even after they eventually got budget heads, there was no approval or cash backing from the past government.
Sulaiman Shehu appealed to the state government to make education affordable for the citizens so that the rate of child abuse will be reduced and also to make it mandatory for every child to go to school and that society should report any child that is out of school.
He said whenever there was any case of child abuse reported at their office, the identity of the victims was kept secret so that it would not affect the mental health of the child because when the child is known, they usually feel isolated from society. At times, even after the child is rehabilitated, society still has that negative impression.
On funding, he lamented that from the inception, for an agency that works 24 hours a day, "the government is supposed to give priority and meet all that the agency requires to function effectively, but even folders, we have to buy from the charges made from the cases.
"Our survival is based on salary and overhead, and even the overhead cannot do much; even the meagre overhead started to come when this present administration assumed office a year ago," he said.
