By; Mohammed Kawu, Bauchi.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has said that it will before September this year launch a new health program in Bauchi to support the building of the state’s health sector for optimum performance.
USAID/Nigeria Mission Director, Mr. Michael Harvey said that the agency is also working with the state’s education sector for many years where it has considerable successes in rebuilding the capacity of the Ministry of Education and its institutions.
Harvey who represented the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James F. Entwistle during a state visit to Bauchi Tuesday told the State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar that the partnership is to provide children the education they needed to succeed in the modern World.
The director appreciated the leadership Governor Mohammed Abubakar and his Government have shown in priority to education in the 2016 state’s budget which, he described, as commendable despite the naira depreciating to the dollar especially in balancing with competing demands such as water, electricity, health, and roads, among others.
Mr. Michael Harvey also appreciated the state’s foundation in peace which is education for children without which, he noted, Bauchi would not succeed in meeting its developmental goals, and expressed delight with the Bauchi renewal of the partnership in education.
Director Harvey recalled that USAID has similarly been working with Bauchi communities who are hosting the internally displaced persons (IDPs) for more than a year now to organizing formal education centres across the state, citing example with the one at Yelwa, a suburb of the Bauchi metropolis.
“It is a program that I’m proud of because it is a program which success is based on the leadership that has been coming from Nigerian communities and institutions, that is why USAID is deeply involved because it has been a project of Bauchi Ministry of Education”.
He further stated, “USAID’s involvement in Bauchi state goes back to many years and I’m happily back in Bauchi to mark the beginning of our next endeavor together and this time on Ministry of Education to support your agenda to strengthened education sector for the Children of Bauchi state”
Harvey, also recalled that USAID has for many years been supporting the state health sector, and reiterated its determination to continue with the program, hence the launching of new health program before September to build on the successes the sector recorded.
Governor Mohammed Abubakar has while responding, expressed delight with the various interventions of the US Government through USAID in Bauchi state, especially the launching Wednesday of the Northern Education Initiative (NEI) plus program which, he noted, is very dear to the people of the state.
