ALHAMDULILLAH 

From the inception of the present administration in May, 2015, guided by the philosophy espoused in our Restoration Agenda, the Health Sector has received the much needed attention of the State Government through the execution of new projects as well as rehabilitation and upgrade of the existing ones. This is not unconnected to the fact that provision of effective healthcare services to the people of Katsina State is a priority for healthy citizens to emerge, to thrive and prosper and a basis for sound social engineering process. 2. Taking into consideration the dilapidated nature of most Hospitals in the State upon coming to power, the State Government had effected the renovation and upgrade of General Hospitals Katsina, Funtua and Daura at an initial Estimated Total Cost of over N2.5Billion. These projects have been completed and handed over to the State Government and is the reason why we have the honour of having Mr. President today. 3. Other projects executed by the State Government under the Health Sector include the renovation and upgrade of General Hospital Kankia at an initial contract sum of N372, 465,178.91, while renovation and upgrade of School of Health Technology Kankia was executed at the cost of N376,856,221.00. Similarly, the Government had procured and installed Hospital equipment selected for the health facilities across the State at the cost of over N700.00 million. 4. In addition, the State Government has equally remodelled and upgraded General Hospital Malumfashi at the cost of N771, 435,575.90. The purchase and distribution of Free Medicare Drugs across the State in all our health facilities and cumulatively the sum of over N2, 500,000,000.00 has been expended by the State Government in implementing this programme. 5. As a further intervention in the health sector, the present administration had awarded contract for the construction of Ophthalmology Department at General Amadi Rimi Specialist Hospital Katsina at the Estimated Total Cost of N407, 153,087.23. The project has reached an advanced stage of completion. Other Projects executed by the present Administration in the Health Sector include the renovation and upgrade of General Hospital Baure at an Estimated Total Cost of N460, 371,714.15, General Hospital Dutsinma at an Estimated Total Cost of N732, 997,539.41, General Hospital Rimi at an Estimated Total Cost of N226, 413,002.19, the upgrade of Comprehensive Health Centre Kafur to a status of a General Hospital at an Estimated Total Cost of N1, 438,844,729.00. 6. The General Hospital Musawa which was upgraded from Comprehensive Health Centre to a General Hospital is one of the projects that will be commissioned by Mr. President tomorrow 27th January, 2023. It has been totally rehabilitated and upgraded at the cost of N406, 695,143.94. The affected structures include Accident and Emergency, Mortuary, Medical Store, Kitchen and Laundry, Staff Quarters, Admin Block, Maternity, Twin Theatre, Male Ward among so many others. It is gratifying Mr. President to state that most of the projects have been completed and handed over to the State Government while others are at various stages of completion. 7. On Human Resource sourcing, provision and training for the Health sector, the present Administration has so far employed and posted over Nine Hundred (900) Health personnel to Health Facilities across the State. The State Government sponsored about 3,000 health workers to attend various fulltime and part-time training programmes both within and outside the country. Despite the resource challenge but inspired by the universal axiom that health is wealth, the State Government domesticated the National Health Insurance Scheme and successfully established the Katsina State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency. To date over 300,000 beneficiaries have so far enrolled into the formal sector programme with over 45,000 vulnerable population that are covered under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF). The primary purpose of the State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency, as Mr. President is aware, is to significantly reduce healthcare expenditure among the lower rung segment of the society. So far about One Billion, Three Hundred and Seventy Million Naira (N1.37Billion) was injected into the Contributory Healthcare Services with capitation disbursement to accredited Primary Healthcare Facilities in the sum of N1, 219,648,640.00 and fees for services which were paid to Secondary Healthcare Facilities in the sum of N152, 947,332.66. 8. Mr. President, other distinguished invited guests, members of the press, ladies and gentlemen, it is on record that when we took over the government there were so many challenges in the revenue accruing to the State Government at inception due to drastic fall in the global petroleum prices and later as result of the debilitating effects of Covid-19 Pandemic. Despite all these, however, the State Government has been consistent in the payment of salaries, pension, overhead costs to Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as other Social Services such as Medical Assistance to Patients, educational assistance to Students from Universities and other tertiary institutions within and outside the country, assistance to Mosques, Islamiyya Schools and other religious organizations across the 34 Local Government Areas. 9. The highlight of the expenditure incurred in one key area of responsibility indicates that the present administration has from 2015 to 2022 expended over N195.0 billion in the payment of salaries and allowances to Civil Servants and Political Office holders, about N34.0 Billion in the payment of Pension and Gratuity to retired workers, about N36.0 Billion in the payment of Overhead and Running Costs to Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the State Government, about N82.0 Billion to cater for other recurrent expenditure such as training of workers, official trips, repairs and rehabilitation of vehicles and buildings as well as about N14.0 Billion on Social Services. Verifiable record indicates that by 2022 ending the State Government has expended the sum of N357, 927,829,790.87 on the above mentioned purposes. 10. At this juncture, I wish to profoundly express the appreciation of Katsina State Government to Mr. President and indeed the Federal Government of Nigeria for various interventions given to Katsina State such as Bailout Funds which at inception assisted the State Government to swiftly settle all outstanding entitlements of workers in the State.  11. Similarly, I wish to further express our sincere appreciation for the recent approval granted by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Health for utilization of the Federal Medical Centre Katsina as the Teaching Hospital for the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina. In an effort to meet up the requirements of the National Universities Commission on the establishment of a Teaching Hospital, the State Government awarded Contracts for the construction of Male and Female Hostels at the cost of N197,210,000.00 each, classrooms at the cost of N152,340,000.00 and laboratory at the cost of N56,810,000.00. 12. To facilitate the transfer of Federal Medical Centre from Katsina to Daura, Katsina State Government has formally released the General Hospital Daura for utilization as the new Federal Medical Centre as an interim measure while 50 hectares of land has been allocated for the construction of the permanent site of the Hospital. We fervently acknowledged the establishment of Army Reference Hospital in Katsina State as an important impetus in the provision of effective healthcare services. 13. As most of us are aware, Mr. President had during some of his previous visits to Katsina State commissioned some road projects constructed by the present administration and are already being used with the attendant propelling effects to the socio-economic life of the State populace. For the record, the commissioned road projects include: i) Yandaki - Gafia – Abdallawa- Dankaba (31km) Road which was executed at the cost of N3,757,466,858.69; ii) Dutsinma - Tsaskiya - Babban Duhu - Kukar Samu (50km) Road which was constructed at the cost of N3,288,292,097.71; iii) Fago – Katsayal - Kwasarawa - Jirdede - Koza (38km) Road which costed the State Government the sum of N1,909,827,028.49; iv) Kwanar Sabke - Dan Aunai (22km) Road which was constructed at the cost of N2,601,552,756.77; and v) Randa – Doguru – Gallu (30km) Road which was constructed at the cost of N2,998,297,134.09. 14. Mr. President, another key pillar of Restoration Agenda of the present Katsina State Administration is the provision, resuscitation and development of Infrastructure. It is pertinent to state that from the inception of the present administration in 2015, the Government awarded twenty two (22No.) new surfaced dressed road projects with a total distance of Five Hundred and Ninety (590) Kilometers at the Estimated Total Cost of Forty Four Billion, Three Hundred and Forty One Million, Two Hundred and One Thousand Three Hundred and Thirty Seven Naira Fifteen Kobo (N44, 341,201,337.15). 15. Out of the 22No. New surfaced dressed roads awarded, 14No. Were completed and put into use, 5No were already commissioned by Mr. President and 2No. are scheduled for commissioning by Mr. President in this historic State visit to Katsina State. 16. Mr. President, distinguished invited guests, members of the press, Ladies and gentlemen, apart from the new surface dressed roads constructed by the State Government, 17. Contracts were awarded for rehabilitation and upgrade of the existing surface dressed roads to address their deplorable conditions. The total distance of the roads in this category is Four Hundred and Fifty Four Kilometers (454km) which were awarded at the total estimated cost of N20,559,997,150.74 and most of the projects were completed and vehicles are already plying them adding value to the socio-economic life of the people of Katsina State being the principal beneficiaries. 17. In addition and in conformity with our level of development, the present administration awarded Contracts for the construction of Four Hundred and Sixty One and Half Kilometers (461.5km) Rural Feeder Roads across the State at the cost of Two Billion, Eight Hundred and Thirty One Million Two Hundred and Twenty One Thousand Nine Hundred and Two Naira (N2,831,221,902.00). Most of the projects were completed and handed over to the State Government. Another complementary socio-economic project is the rural electrification programme in which the State Government has spent the sum of N6.2Billion in provision of power infrastructure which include rehabilitation of defective electrification projects, provision of transformers, construction of a 33KV and 11KV Power Lines notwithstanding the privatization drive in the sector. The Housing need of the State populace particularly public servants was equally given attention through the construction of 185 No. Housing Estate in Katsina metropolis situated at Kofar Yandaka close to Katsina Teaching Hospital. The estate with its associated infrastructure costs the State Government over N2billion to execute. 18. Recently, the State Government in response to burgeoning traffic in Katsina metropolis awarded Contracts for the construction of 3No. Interchange Bridges at Kofar Kaura, Kofar Kwaya and GRA Roundabout at an initial combined estimated cost of Ten Billion, One Hundred and Ten Million, Five Hundred and Fifty Eight Thousand Five Hundred and Ninety Six Naira Fifty Five Kobo (N10, 110,558,596.55). 19. Your Excellency, Katsina State is obviously taming the odds, as the State Capital is experiencing phenomenal influx of people from different parts of the country with corresponding spike in the number of vehicles plying our roads which makes movement from one part of the city to another very difficult, especially during the festive periods of Eid-el-Fitr, Eid-el-Kabir, Maulud, wedding ceremonies etc. It is in order to facilitate easy movement of vehicles and other means of road transportation from one part of the city to another, that the Government designed and awarded the Interchange projects at the three locations which will no doubt reduce congestion. The Kofar Kaura and Kofar Kwaya Bridges are part of the projects that will be commissioned by Mr. President today while that of GRA Roundabout will be ready for commissioning in the next two months as the project was awarded some months after the award of the Contracts for the construction of the underpass bridges at Kofar Kaura and Kofar Kwaya.  20. In addition, the State Government executed some strategic projects and programmes under the State Roads Maintenance Agency (KASROMA). From 2019 to date the present administration expended over Four Billion Sixty Million Nine Hundred and Two Thousand Eight Hundred and Seventy Two Naira Twenty Three Kobo (N4, 060,902,872.23) for the construction of new roads, potholes patching, rehabilitation and upgrade of roads across the State under direct handling of KASROMA. 21. The Agency under a recognized arrangement which is being funded by the State and Local Governments, constructed over Ninety Five Kilometres surface dressed roads across the State. Out of the 95.28km constructed by the Agency, 33.60km were executed with contributions of the State and Local Governments, while the remaining 63km were solely funded by the State Government. 22. In a nutshell and for the purpose of expenditure segregation on projects basis, the Katsina State Roads Maintenance Agency had expended the sum of N3, 177,260,023.00 for the construction of new roads, N542, 753,967.96 for rehabilitation, upgrade and pothole patching of some selected roads, N210, 747,240.00 for street lights provision and maintenance as well as N130, 141,641.27 for other adjunct and ancillary projects too numerous to mention here. 23. Mr. President, other invited guests, let me use this opportunity to again express the appreciation of Katsina State Government to the Federal Government for executing so many projects across the State that greatly contribute in uplifting the quality of life of our people. Of pronounced standing among Federal projects is the dualisation of the (ongoing) Kano Katsina Road which will no doubt contribute to the improvement of commercial activities thus consolidating the histoncal commercial ties between the people of Katsina and Kano. The dualisation project will not only aid faster movement of vehicles, its impact in curtailing frequency of accidents with its attendant loss of lives and properties will ultimately count as its major contribution to our people - 24. The construction of Kano - Katsina Jibia Maradi Rail Line is among the greatest achievements recorded by the Federal Government in this part of the federation. Your Excellency, the people of Katsina State are eager to start utilizing the project to experience the dual benefits of rail transportation as the safest and cheapest means of transportation. Katsina State, being a State that shares border with Niger Republic, will no doubt greatly benefit from the project. 25. We are aware that recently, the Federal Government awarded numerous but complementary Contracts for the improvement and upgrade of Umaru Musa Yar’adua Airport. The projects when completed will certainly transform the Airport to become among the best airports in the country. The air lifting of Pilgrims from Katsina to the Holy Land and the local commercial air transportation from Katsina to other parts of the country will receive monumental boost in addition to its utilization for importation and exporting agricultural products to different parts of the world. 26. Having highlighted some of the infrastructural achievements recorded by this Administration, I wish to state categorically that the State Government has made serious impact which occupies a place of primacy in the Restoration Agenda Plan. I have used every opportunity availed to me to emphasize that the provision of qualitative education to the people of Katsina State is not only a priority but a necessity. In pursuant to this, I am glad to inform Mr. President that we have invested heavily in Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Education which resulted in increase in the enrolment of pupils into Primary School, from 1,100,000 in 2015 to 2,200,000 in 2021, increased number of candidates that passed WAEC, NECO, NBAIS with 5 credits and above Including English and Maths from an average of 19% score in 2014/2015 session to over 63% in 2016-2021 sessions, with resultant increase in the number of candidates that graduate from Universities and other Tertiary Institutions both within and outside the country. At this juncture, I wish to inform Mr. President that this Administration in its bid to expand frontiers of education has constructed additional 7No. New Secondary Schools at the cost of N1,091,948,865.00 and Renovated/ Upgraded 169 Secondary Schools which were provided with a total of 33,448 units of furniture at the cost of N7,228,156,896.79. In addition, the sum of N7, 950,452,198.59 was expended by the State Government in the procurement and distribution of Instructional materials to Schools across the State which contributed in creating a conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning. 27. From 2015 to 2020, the State Government effected payment of over N3.9Billion to about 270,000 Students in Higher Institutions of Learning both within and outside the country as Scholarship allowances. Also, over N1.0Billion was specifically spent to sponsor Students inclined to study professional courses of value to Katsina State populace in tertiary institutions outside the country. Similarly, over 2,000 qualified teachers were employed and posted to Secondary Schools while over 6,000 teachers were employed by the Universal Basic Education Board all on permanent and pensionable appointment. Furthermore, in order to reduce the rate of unemployment among our youth, the State Government introduced the S-Power Programme and employed 5,000 and 2,000 NCE and Degree holders totalling 7,000 teachers who were posted to teach in the Primary and Secondary Schools 28. One important indispensable resource that in social arithmetic equals life is water. On this I must express the appreciation of Katsina State Government to the Federal Government of Nigeria and indeed Mr. President for breaking the oddities of abandoned projects through the completion and commissioning of the Zobe Water Supply Scheme. Accordingly and in line with the terms and conditions of the MOU signed between Katsina State Government and the Federal Government of Nigeria, Katsina State is expected to complete the Phase (B) Water Supply project, one of which is the rehabilitation and upgrade of Kofar Kaura Booster Station to enhance effective pumping of water from Zobe Dam to the three elevated tanks at Rafindadi, Steel Rolling Roundabout and Dutsinma Road in Katsina metropolis, which have a combined capacity of over 7,000m³. It is one of the projects that Mr. President has commissioned today signifying that the State Government has fulfilled its side of the obligation. The project was executed at the cost of N810, 767,905.35. 29. I am also pleased to inform Mr. President that Ajiwa Water Works was fully restored and upgraded with standard equipment in order to improve water supply to the people of Katsina metropolis and Communities surrounding it. The project was executed at the cost of N8, 228,595,305.38. Malumfashi Water Works which had been dormant for over 6 years was given the necessary attention by the present administration. When we took over in 2015 we awarded Contract for complete rehabilitation and upgrade of the Scheme at the Cost of N2, 216,895,351.34. All the obsolete equipment at the Water Supply Scheme were replaced with new ones. The Funtua Water Supply Scheme was expanded and rehabilitated with provision of new High-lift pumps at the cost of N131, 967,012.00. The Daura Water Supply Scheme was equally renovated and upgraded at the Cost of N71, 477,763.00. All these projects were completed and handed over to the State Government.  30. On Rural Water Supply, this Administration had constructed over 3,000 productive boreholes and 57 motorized solar boreholes across the State. Similarly, 517 VIP toilets were constructed at some Primary Healthcare Centres and Primary Schools across the State. As at today 24 out of the 34 Local Government Areas of Katsina State attained the Open Defecation Free Status as certified by the National Task Group on Sanitation which is under the Federal Ministry of Water Resources placing Katsina State 2nd in terms of warding-off open defecation with its health risks. The Remaining 10 Local Government Areas that were not certified are affected by insecurity in the areas. 31. While appreciating Zobe Dam completion, I must also thank Mr. President for the completion and handing over of Sabke Regional Water Supply Scheme to Katsina State Government which contributes in the provision of potable water to the people Daura, Dutsi and Mashi Local Government Areas respectively. 32. On the issue of addressing environmental challenges, the State Government through the Ministry of Environment has invested over N40.0Billion through stepped up efforts and strategies in addressing the ecological challenges of drought, flood, erosion, waste management and climate change effects that have hitherto endanger the lives of the citizens of Katsina State and impact negatively on our health, agricultural farmlands, access roads, hydraulic structures and other facilities. 33. As part of the measures to address the menace of flood and erosion, the State Government has constructed structures in 206 sites covering 300 Communities which resulted in the provision of 199,456 metres length of drainage, 236No. Box culverts, 2,060 metres of retaining walls, 1550metres of dyke/embankment and 360 metres of drift structures. On the drought and desertification control, the government has produced and distributed 34,000 mud cooking stoves across the 34 Local Government Areas. The Waste Management and Environmental Protection has received a boost by the State through the construction and distribution of 500 metal waste bins, provision of 300 plastic waste containers, purchase of 5No. Roll on Roll off (RoRo) refuse evacuation vehicles with 180 refuse containers, construction of 26 blocks of modern commercial sheds at Katsina, Funtua and Daura among so many others. 34.  Another plus to the fatherly role of Mr. President is the inclusion of Katsina State in most of the projects and programmes that are geared towards the improvement of our lives in general and confronting environmental issues in particular, our development partners such as the NEWMAP, RAAMP, etc are giving us their helping hands in our quest to fast track developmental drives. It is appropriate here to acknowledge the N6, 250,000,000.00 grant of the Federal Government for Ranch Development, an important intervention with socio-economic value.  35. Your Excellency, Mr. President what you are about to commission here today is the remodeled, rehabilitated and upgraded General Hospital Katsina which, as I earlier mentioned, attracted an expenditure of over N1.5billion. I have the honour to invite Mr. President to commission this project. Mr. President Sir.