Bauchi govt unveils plan to boost IGR, create employment opportunities

Samuel Luka, Bauchi

The Bauchi state government has unveiled plans to boost its internally generated revenue and create job opportunities for its teeming population.

Governor Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir made this known on Thursday while receiving a report from the Chairman of the Economic Advisory Committee, Prof. Usman Bugaje at the Government House in Bauchi.

The governor pledged to work with technocrats to implement the economic blueprint in collaboration with the private sector and assured that his administration would provide the right leadership to harness the potentials of the state with regards to expanding the frontiers of its agro-based economy.

“I cherish so much the privilege given to me to lead Bauchi state at this material time and I promise that I will do this job with all seriousness.

“I will bring in technocrats to implement this economic blueprint in collaboration with the private sector because there’s need for partnership to open new frontiers guided by global best practices.

“We have consulted some of the best technocrats in the country to show us the way. And we will continue to do so, even though sometimes we will consider political expediency.

Bauchi is geographically and strategically placed to feed the nation and people in other parts of the world,” he said.

Chairman of the Economic Advisory Committee, Prof. Usman Bugaje had earlier advised the governor to use the state’s comparative advantage in agriculture to boost revenue and create employment opportunities for the people of the state.

“Your Excellency, what we have here is the economic blueprint that will guide your policies in the next four years.

All our thoughts from various fields of expertise that will enable you to be focused from day one are contained in this report,”. Bugaje pointed out.

He urged the governor to implement the recommendations in the report with the best hands he can get around as according to him, agriculture is an area where Bauchi has a comparative advantage to grow faster than other states.

Prof. Bugaje added that “in the next two years, we are looking at a Bauchi that would export products to different parts of the world and a state that will serve as reference point to other states across the country.”