Few months after the Bauchi State Government proposed the establishment of an oil and gas academy in the state following the discovery of oil in commercial quantity, the State Executive Council (SEC) during its meeting on Wednesday approved the establishment of the Academy to be sited in Alkaleri Local Government Area of the state.
The decision of the SEC was disclosed to Journalists by the State Commissioner of Power, Science and Technology, Alhaji Umar Abubakar Sade while briefing on the outcome of the Council’s meeting chaired by the State Deputy Governor, Senator Baba Tela.
Abubakar Sade said that already an inter-ministerial implementation committee has been constituted for the immediate take-off of the Academy.
He also said that the state government will set all the necessary machinery in motion to enact the enabling law establishing the institute in order to give it the required legal backing.
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According to him, part of Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic Bauchi will be used as a temporary site for office accommodation for all principal officers of the institute who will be announced soon after due process must have been completed.
The commissioner said that ” A project implementation committee has been constituted and a consultant engaged to initiate, plan and coordinate the project including the preparation of Academic brief for the Institute”.
The commissioner further said that the State Development Board will provide physical development master plan articulating both the immediate and long term development objective of the Institute.
On education, Alhaji Abubakar Sade said the council has approved the repositioning of the sector to ensure effective service delivery with the introduction of some policies explaining that, ” Where there is a boarding and day school in the community, all the GJSS candidates shall go to the day school irrespective of gender”.
He added that ” All boarding schools with a population of fewer than 100 students shall be made day schools in order to accommodate candidates of the communities”.
Abubakar Sade added that a portal has been created in the Ministry of Education to register all categories of graduates in the state for future plans.
The commissioner also said that the council has received an update on the activities of the Primary Healthcare Development Agency as part of the resolution of the Seattle declarations which required the review of State Primary Healthcare performance on a quarterly basis in the State Executive Council Meetings.
On civil service, Alhaji Abubakar Sade said the council approved the abrogation of subsisting government policies on government rented quarters to civil servants some of which have been overtaken by events or are obsolete.