By, Amos Mathew, Kaduna
Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani on Friday commissioned blocks of 400-bed hostel at Government Girls Secondary School, Kawo and the office complex of Zaria Metropolitan Authority (ZMA), as part of activities lined up for the celebration of his 100 days in office.
It could be recalled that, in 2020, the School Hostel was gutted by fire displacing the boarding students of the girls-only school. The state government however reconstructed the hostel and built additional blocks of classroom commissioned on Friday.
Speaking at the Commissioning, Governor Sani said the completion of the hostel block project was a fulfillment of the promised made by the state Government and demonstration of the importance it attaches to excellence of girl education in the state.
At the Commissioning of Zaria Metropolitan Authority Complex, the authority like its Kaduna and Kafanchan counterparts were designed based on the Abuja model to serve as city managers carrying out statutory roles of the local governments like road construction, waste management and business environment regulation.
According to him, “I am delighted to personally open the Zaria Metropolitan Authority office. We set up the three metropolitan authorities in 2021 in Zaria, Kaduna and Kafanchan designed based on the Abuja model and they would function as integrated entities. They are not here to replace the local governments or to control them, they are simply city managers to carry out statutory roles of the local governments. It covers four local government areas Zaria, Sabongari, part of Giwa and Soba.
“The Authority since inception has performed its role creditably well in the area of Road construction and maintenance, solid waste management and supply and installation of solar street lights and regulation of business environment.
“Let me reiterate the commitment of our administration towards rapid development of Kaduna state. We will not relent in our efforts to revamp infrastructure, build human capacity and promote economic growth of the state.
“This edifice we are commissioning today is just a physical structure, but a symbol of collective efforts of our administration, the Zaria Metropolitan Authority and the People of Kaduna State,” the Governor said.
Earlier, the Administrator, Zaria Metropolitan Authority, Hajiya Balaraba Aliyu-Inuwa “the foundation of this complex, the Brian Sherwood Smith House, was laid on April 1, 1939 as a provincial office to house Zaria Province office with 10 administrators before me. The Zaria Metropolitan Authority was created to cope with the population explosion which is usual with developing areas.
Since inception, we have carried out five numbers of connected roads completed within Zaria and Soba, two roads with solar street lights. We have mapped and digitised the entire metropolitan in conjunction with KADGIS and Kasupda and other agencies, security of people clearing and waste evacuation with waste management contractors.
Also, the Principal GGSS Senior Section, Kawo, Kaduna, Mrs Victoria Hassan expressed excitement at the commissioning of facilities in the school by Governor Uba Sani, saying that, the school hostels were burnt in a fire incident in 2020, but with the new facilities, students would now enjoy conducive learning environment.
“Following the fire incident, we were relocated to Rimi college here in Kaduna, while the State government gave the contract for the renovation of our school to Agile projects company, Kaduna. They have built the hostels, and in each hostel we have 400 capacity of students. New toilets of 35 numbers were added to the old ones. A block of six classrooms and a block of four classrooms were being constructed and renovated under old blocks.
“The Administration blocks of the senior section was also renovated. The Administration blocks of the junior section was also renovated. So we are praying to God to give us the grace and the spirit to utilise the structures and the materials we have here now,” she said.