‘Why Kano needs N40 billion intervention fund’

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KANO State government yesterday explained the reasons why it is seeking N40 billion intervention fund from the Federal Government.

The state Commissioner for Information, Youths and Internal Affairs, Mohammed Garba, in a chat with The Guardian in Abuja disclosed that this has been endorsed by both the state executive council and the House of Assembly.

Garba explained that part of the money would be utilised to ensure the completion of an independent power project mainly required to revitalise the industrial sector, which could provide employment opportunities to youths in the state.

He further stated that it would also be earmarked for projects initiated by the Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje-led administration as well as several other projects inherited from past administrations in the state.

Saying that part of the fund would be expended on the payment of pensioners claims and workers salaries yet to be cleared, he reiterated the resolve of the state government to boost internally generated revenue (IGR) to be able to meet its responsibility to the citizenry in the state.

According to him: “Yes, we are accessing the bailout fund and other intervention funds. We are processing them already. We have applied and it has been formerly approved by the state Assembly. The pension and gratuity intervention fund is about N20 billion.

“And then we are also looking at the power intervention fund, which is about N10 billion and the infrastructure intervention fund which is about N10 billion, totaling N40 billion and I think we are starting with the first one and that will enable us to pay all the pensioners, then we make sure salaries are paid to those who were employed but are not on payment list yet.

“We actually don’t have problems with salaries payment, I am sure you know that. We have been very consistent in the payment, but there are some who are employed but, unfortunately, are not on our salary list. We are going to use that fund to ensure that we pay them their salaries.

“The power intervention fund is to enable the state government to complete the Challawa, Goje and Tiga dams for our hydro power electric plant project that is on -going. It is one of the projects that we inherited from the past administration and I think it is about 60 percent completed and the total cost of that project is over N14 billion. So we really need the fund to complete this project.

“We need a power plant to revive our industrial sector, especially the textile industries in Sharada, to create employment opportunities for our youths.

Source: TheGuardian