The General Manager Yobe State Rural Electrification Board (REB) Engineer Mustapha Goniri said the administration of Hon Mai Mala Buni has succeeded in electrifying a total of over 50 un-served communities in the rural areas and over 100 underserved communities in towns and urban areas to the national grid across the state.
The general manager stated this while speaking to newsmen on the activities of the agency under the administration of governor Mai Mala Buni in Yobe State.
Goniri said the governor has, apart from the rural electrification initiative, succeeded in reactivating, rehabilitating and strengthening most of the 33KV lines in addition to reconnecting all areas destroyed by insurgents across the state.
He further said, “His Excellency Hon Mai Mala Buni (Chiroman Gujba) has on inception mandated the REB to extend electricity to rural communities that were not served and the underserved areas at the towns and urban centres of the state.
“Under this programme, the Rural Electrification Board was able to connect over 50 rural areas that were hitherto unserved or connected to the nation grid and on top of that the board was able to extend to over 100 underserved in major towns within the state such as Buni-Yadi, Damaturu, Gashu’a, Nguru, Geidam, Potiskum, Damagum, Fika and other communities.
“These communities were mostly new settlements in the towns and despite being in major towns they were not connected to the national grid hence His Excellency mandated that every community that witnessed expansion and extension due development should be connected to the national grid.
“Under this administration, the REB was able to rehabilitate, reactivate and strengthen most of our 33KV lines spread across the major electricity routes meant to convey bulk power supply to major towns of the state.
“Example of those projects are Potiskum-Jakusko-Gashu’a-Yusufari 33KV line, Gashu’a-Jajimaji 33KV line, Damaturu-Damagum-Potiskum 33KV line, Tikau-Jajere 33KV line, Damaturu-Babbangida-Dapchi-Bayamari-Yusufari 33KV line, Bayamari-Balle-Geidam-Bukarti 33KV line, Damaturu-Buni-Yadi 33KV line and Potiskum-Kukargadu just to mention but few. All of these lines provide bulk power supply to the major towns of the state.
“Similarly, His Excellency has during his visit to one of the are that was worst hit by the activities of the Boko Harma insurgency at the Gujba east he instantly directed the REB to as a matter of urgency restore electricity to the area and as I am talking to you we have succeeded in rehabilitating 50km Katarko-Goniri 33KV line. We have equally succeeded in electrifying all the villages along that line,” the GM stated.
Goniri said apart from villages such as Ngurbuwa, Dadingel among others, places like Ngamma that were hitherto not electrified and As part of measures towards ensuring the success of the Human papillomavirus vaccine, the Yobe State Social Mobilization Committee (SM&CEG) have embarked on a stakeholders engagement as well as sensitization to identified institutions and individuals across the state.
The team led by the director Information Services, Ministry of Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Alh. Ali Musa Yawale in company of the Executive Secretary Primary Healthcare Board Dr Kundi Machina among other directors of the agency as well as development partners such as W.H.O were at the office of the commissioner for Basis and Secondary Education Dr Muhammad Sani Idris for advocacies on the forthcoming Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV) campaign billed to commence across the state in May this year.
The chairman while speaking on the purpose of the visit said they were at the ministry to intimate them on the new vaccine meant to prevent people especially women from the dangers of Human papillomavirus Vaccine that usually results in cervical cancer.
Yawale said the advocacy became necessary as statistics showed that human papillomavirus that usually causes cervical cancer results in 8, 000 deaths out of 12, 000 new cases among women in Nigeria.
Elaborating furthermore, the executive secretary, Primary Healthcare Board, Dr Kundi Machina, represented by the Director Immunization and Disease Control, Dr Umar Ciroma said the Human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) is not only safe and effective but key in preventing women from cervical cancer including breast cancer.
Dr Ciroma said HPV which is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the world and a leading cause of cervical cancer among women, is the most frequent cause of cancer deaths among women aged between 15 and 44 years in 2020 alone across Nigeria.
He said, “The vaccine is most effective when given to girls before they become sexually active and this among others inform the decision of recommending girls between the ages of 9 – 14 years old as the best target for the HPV vaccine billed to commence in May this year across Yobe.”
The commissioner, represented by the permanent secretary of the Ministry, Alh Bukar Aji Bukar has while welcoming the delegation at his office in Damaturu assured their readiness towards supporting the health personnel in creating required awareness among the target group in various schools across the state.
“Yobe state ministry of education remained resolute in accepting and implementing policies geared towards safeguarding the health and life of the children who are the future leaders.”
