Council Initiates Projects To Tackle Hardship In Taraba

The chairman of Kurmi local government area of Taraba State, Hon Moses Maihankeli, has said that his administration has launched intervention projects to address longstanding infrastructure and social challenges confronting the people in the area.

Hon Maihankeli, who is also the Taraba State chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), listed the construction of culverts, rehabilitation of feeder roads and renovation of schools as key projects aimed at improving living standards of the people in rural communities.

Speaking with newsmen in Jalingo, the chairman said the initiatives are designed to ease transportation, enhance access to education and to boost overall socio-economic conditions.

He disclosed that the state government recently released N100 million to each local government, and directed the chairmen to specifically prioritise culverts and feeder roads to improve mobility and to support agricultural activities.

According to him, the interventions are already yielding results, especially in the hard to reach communities.

Hon Maihankeli recalled that in the past, pupils and residents were forced to remove their clothes to cross streams on their way to school and other destinations, expressing optimism that the ongoing culvert projects would provide lasting relief to the people.

“By the time these culverts are completed, the people will have every reason to appreciate good governance and quality service delivery under Governor Agbu Kefas,” he said.

On education, the chairman identified inadequate infrastructure and a shortage of teachers as major factors behind the sector’s decline, and described the previous state of primary schools as poor and unconducive for learning.

He recounted a recent visit to a public school where pupils in Primary Four, Five and Six were merged due to a lack of teachers, noting that some teachers had absconded while others were frequently absent for no justifiable reason.

He attributed part of the challenge to a backlog of unpaid salaries inherited by the current administration, which he said dampened morale and productivity of teachers.

Hon Maihankeli, however, noted improvements in the system following the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage by the state government, as better remuneration would attract and retain qualified teachers to impart needed knowledge.

In the health sector, the chairman said the council had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the cottage hospital in Bayisa to provide surgical and other medical services for residents.

He added that, he personally supports medical students from the area with a monthly allowance of N50,000 to encourage the study of medicine and address shortage of manpower.

Hon. Maihankeli also advocated regular training and retraining of teachers to improve service delivery and raise education standards across the local government.