The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Bauchi State Government of undermining the federal government’s developmental projects in the state.
The APC in the state also said authorities vehemently opposed the humanitarian strides of minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, who is also a wife to Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar (retired), the 2023 governorship flag bearer of the APC in Bauchi.
Chairman, Bauchi APC publicity committee, Comrade Sabo Mohammed, said this in an interview with reporters at the party’s secretariat in Bauchi.
He said the federal government came with a lot of life-touching projects for the poor and vulnerable citizens of the state but the current PDP-led administration consistently thwarted them by denying an enabling playing field for the execution of such projects.
He said there are a lot of developmental projects that were brought to the state but that lack of patriotism by the Bauchi state government crippled the projects as he didn’t allow the representative of the federal government to implement them.
“The federal government through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs Disaster Management and control under the leadership of Honorable Minister Sadiya Umar Farouk has come to support the people of the state, but the state government under Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has not been given a chance for the implementation and Flagging-off of the FG’s projects.
“The program is in its efforts to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty, the Buhari-led administration has inaugurated a one-off cash grant of N20,000 to the poorest and most vulnerable citizens of Bauchi state, and the program is aimed at addressing the plight of the poor and vulnerable Nigerians despite other economic challenges the administration of Muhammadu Buhari inherited.
“About 5,679 people from the 20 local government areas of Bauchi state benefit from the grant which is the highest slot among all the 36 states of the country. Still, despite all this, the Bauchi state government is putting political consideration at the forefront by stopping the programs,” he said.
“The minister also inaugurated other unique products under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Program (GEEP)which includes the TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni with a loan portfolio of 50,000 to 300,000, but unfortunately the state government denied the Minster the opportunity to hold the program at Multipurpose Bauchi, so she has to hold the program at another venue, therefore if not because of the lack of support from Bauchi state government, she would have proceeded to the central and northern zones of the state to execute other important programs” Sabo added.
When contacted for comments, Bauchi PDP publicity secretary, Alhaji Yanyanuwa Zainabari, could not respond to the calls placed through his line nor replied to the short message service (SMS) sent to him.