Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State says his administration will remain committed to utilising available resources to develop Education in the State.
Receiving an award as the Most Improved State in Education in 2020 from the BusinessDay newspaper in Abuja, Bello noted that apart from education, there are other sectors that need attention, explaining however that despite the limited resources, Education should be given priority in every administration.
He said fixing the education sector is a long-term project, adding that if adequate attention was given to Education in the State since the return of democracy 22 years ago, the story would have been a better one.
The Governor decried the level of dilapidation of school structures when he took over in 2015, adding that his administration has been able to rebuild a reasonable number out of the 60 boarding schools in the State, while the school approach initiative of government was used to reconstruct and renovate others.
He commended the media organisation for finding him worthy of the award. He also appreciated their efforts in carrying out an independent investigation into what the state government has done in the education sector, adding that they should sustain the tempo as doing so will encourage leaders to do more.
The Governor assured them that the award is a morale booster for him not to relent in doing his best to the people of the State who have high expectations.
Speaking on behalf of the BusinessDay, the General Manager, Northern Operations, Bashir Ibrahim Hassan, explained that the Organization carries out its research annually and gets the statistics for all States of the Federation on different area of human development.
Hassan said for last year, based on their statistics, Niger State came out as the most improved State in Education.
The achievements recorded in education by the Abubakar Sani Bello-led administration, according to Hassan, include construction and renovation of over 2,500 classrooms, training of over 3,000 teachers in Partnership with Cambridge University, as well as establishment of Professional teachers training institute in Mutum Daya in Shiroro local Government Area.
Hassan further disclosed that the Governor increased the retirement age of teachers from 60-65 recently. He commended the Governor for his resilience, determination and commitment to bringing the needed growth and development in the State.
John Osadolor, the Editorial Director of the Business Day presented the award on behalf of the organization.
A statement by the spokeswoman to the Governor, Mrs. Mary Noel-Berje, explained that the delay in handing the award to Bello was occasioned by recent events in the State.
“The 2020 BusinessDay Award ceremony took place on the 25th of February 2021, at a time when the Niger state government was battling to rescue her abducted Kagara Science College boys,” she said.