Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state on Saturday flagged-off the construction of Vocational and Technology Skills Acquisition City at Samaru Kataf, while launching other projects across the eight local government areas of Southern Kaduna.
This was just as the governor was conferred with traditional title of ‘Chat Atyap’ (lover of Atyap people), by the Paramount Ruler of Zangon Kataf, the Agwatyap, Chief Dominic Gambo Yahaya.
The Skills City is designed to train 800 youths from Southern Kaduna Zone annually, across various vocations. It is the second of such Centers to be flagged-off by Governor Sani following the first sited at Rigachikun, Igabi Local Government to serve Kaduna Central. Also flagged-off on Saturday was the construction of 1km surface dressing with reinforced drainage and culvert at Zango Township Road.
Other projects flagged-off in Southern Kaduna are rehabilitation of vandalized transformers and upgrade of power supply lines across the eight local government areas at Jema’a Local Government Secretariat, Kafanchan and installation of 2,000 solar street lights across the 8 local government areas at Jema’a Local Government Secretariat, Kafanchan.
The Agwatyap while receiving the governor at his palace, lauded his commitment to rural development and identifying with the people of Zango Kataf.
“Your Excellency, the people of this chiefdom will remember this date and you, in particular, forever. We remain grateful and promise our unflinching support to Your Excellency’s programs and projects. Your presence here is testimony and confirmation of your stated desire and wish to transform the rural areas of this state.
“We also appreciate you for the peace we are enjoying at the moment having gone through traumatic security challenges this past four years. Since coming into office, you State your desire to secure the state and your body language has seen gradual return of peace and security in this Chiefdom. We are particularly grateful for this project which will serve many communities along this route, that is the project you are about to flagg-off now. It will enable the evacuation of farm produce from the hinterland.
“We are also happy and delighted with the proposal to flagg-off the Skills Acquisition Center at Samaru which will greatly assist the youth and reduce adolescent delinquency in the Chiefdom and the state at large. We pledge our loyalty and support to all your programs And activities as Governor of Kaduna state. We hereby confer on His Excellency the traditional title of ‘Chat-Atyap’, which means ‘Mai Kaunar Kasar Nan’. May God bless your Excellency,” he said.
Flagging off the projects, Governor Uba Sani reiterated his administration’s priority of rural transformation, towards achieving revitalization of rural economy.
He said, “we are here for the groundbreaking of some important roads we want to construct across the eight local government areas of Southern Kaduna. We have done similar ground breaking in Zone 1 some two months ago and I promised the people of Kaduna state to ensure even development of the state. In this zone, we are going to be constructing some important roads, build hospitals.
“We will construct some major roads that will link our markets with our farms, because the major focus of our administration, is to revitalize the rural economy. We must support the people in the rural areas if we want to create jobs, improve productivity and reduce poverty in our communities. The only way we can achieve this is to support our farmers to be able to transport their produce from their farms to the markets. And that is why we are here to do these ground breaking.
“We are also focusing on the improvement and equipment of our youths with skills. That is why we are building Vocational and Technology Skills Acquisition City here in Samaru Kataf. We want to equip our youths so that they can compete favourably with their counterparts across the world in skills. This will enable them to be gainfully employed,” he said, while promising to rebuild the Zango Urban market and other abandoned projects requested by the Agwatyap.
At the Emir of Jema’a’s Palace in Kafanchan, the Emir, Alhaji Muhammadu Isah Muhammadu, commended Governor Sani for the transformation programmes he has rolled out within his six months in office.
He however promised the Emirate’s total loyalty and unflinching support to the government of Senator Uba Sani.
