Segun Awofadeji in Gombe
Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Yahaya, has said the challenges of food shortage and inflation are not peculiar to Nigeria, as it is a global trend.
The governor was speaking to State House Correspondents at the weekend, after he met behind closed doors with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He, however, said frantic efforts are being put in place by the state government in collaboration with the federal government to ensure normalcy returns.
Governor Yahaya stressed that: “Food crisis is not only prevalent in Nigeria, it is obtained all over the world because of the challenges confronting the world but our own has its own peculiarities because of the insecurity that has bedeviled the North, especially Northwest and Northeast.
“That notwithstanding, we are making serious efforts to ensure that we restore normalcy by providing security to enable the people go back to their farms. So we have our own strategies for both the short, medium and long terms.
“Each state has its own but we have keyed into that of the federal government in order to ensure that very soon we overcome the challenges.”
Yahaya further said his administration would continue to provide the enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the state.
This is sequel to the emergence of the state as the first among the 36 states of Nigeria in the socio-economic index compiled by an independent organisation that provides insights into the socio-economic performance and risk profiles of Nigerian states.
The governor said: “There is no magic about how we emerged as the best among our peers on the socio-economic index; there is no miracle it is just commitment, hard work and dedication.
“Over the time, since I became the governor, I made sure that we maintain focus and a clear vision. We made sure we consistently monitor the progress of the state economically, vis-à-vis the needs of the people and the mood of the country.”
According to him, “So all those things joined together gave us victory. Socio-economic development means every aspect of human development, and I am very happy that the effort we are making in Gombe State is recognised, and we remain focused and will consistently continue to deliver on the needs of our people.”
Recently, Gombe State emerged the best in Nigeria with a PSPI score of 0.80, ranking first with an AAA rating, indicating an excellent performance.
On the index, Gombe State is followed by Jigawa, Ekiti States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which occupying second third and fourth positions in that order.
