Inuwa, El-Rufai Unveil Shongo Layout, Flag-off Construction Of 550 Housing Units

Gombe State governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, and his Kaduna State counterpart, Malam Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai yesterday performed the official unveiling of a new layout, tagged Shongo Gardens Layout.

The gocernors also performed the ground breaking for the construction of 550 housing units in a bid to provide affordable houses to the people of the state.

Speaking at the event, Governor Inuwa observed that owing due to its centrality in the Northeastern region and the prevailing insecurity in the neighboring states, Gombe state has witnessed an exponential increase, both in population and size of its urban centres, partly as a result of influx of Internally Displaced Persons and urbanisation.

The scenario, he said, has put more pressure on the existing social amenities and proliferated the demand for housing and other social services.

Inuwa said, “Since inception, we realised that in our efforts towards achieving the SDGs Goal 11 on fostering sustainable community and inclusive urban development we must develop innovative ways to provide affordable and quality housing to our people.

“It is against this backdrop that our administration deemed it necessary to establish Gombe Geographic Information Systems, GOGIS and transform the Gombe State Development Board to Gombe State Urban Planning Development Authority, GOSUPDA in order to ensure the realisation of the urban renewal agenda while abolishing administrative bottle necks”.

The governor noted that the twin events mark the commencement of yet another phase of massive infrastructural development in the state and an important step that would see to the actualisation of the Special Development Zone Project which encapsulates an ambitious vision of his administration for a new and modern Gombe.

“This layout will be the first of its kind where critical infrastructure such as roads, water, power networks and other vital services will be provided with a goal of creating a habitable environment for Gombe residents while at the same time attracting investors and developers”, he noted.

Governor Inuwa warned that his administration will not condone any act of sabotage, distortion or encroachment in the new layout, calling on all relevant authorities to ensure compliance to development control regulations in the area.

The governor said when completed, the housing project will provide housing opportunities to hundreds of civil servants and other residents of the state, assuring to continue collaborating with both domestic and international development partners in the provision of  sustainable housing and inclusive urban development.

In his remarks during, Kaduna State governor, E-Rrufai commended the people of Gombe State for their votes to the APC presidential candidates, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during the presidential election and for re-electing Governor Inuwa, whom he described as a performing governor.

“Gombe people have wisely chosen development over deception; they refused to compromise their future and that of their young ones. I assure you that you will never regret this”, he said.

El-Rufai extolled Governor Inuwa’s foresight and clear vision as testified by his administration’s policies and programmes which are geared toward restoring the pride of the people of Gombe State.

“Like in our case in Kaduna, layouts have been distorted and land mismanaged, there are carve outs in GRA and no additional layouts were created, people are erecting structures without compliance to regulations and so on.

At the GOGIS Corporate Office, Governor El-Rufa’i described the establishment of the agency as “a step in the right direction,” maintaining that no development can be achieved without proper land administration”.

Earlier at the venue of the unveiling of the layout and flagging of of the housing construction, the director general, Gombe Geographic Information Systems, Dr Kabiru Usman Hassan, said the location, structure and other properties of the layout were modelled to provide safer, convenient and more enticing environment using Internationally recommended standards.

At the Corporate Office of the Agency, the DG lamented that “GOGIS project was conceived in 2013 but suffered negligence by previous administration until the emergence of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya in 2019 who saw the need to rejuvenate the agency by digitizing its functions using the GIS technology”.