The Commissioner, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Gombe State, Alhaji Salihu Baba Alkali who doubles as Chairman, State Cares Steering Committee (SCSC), Gombe State, has commended Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for supporting the programme to achieved an impressive milestone in Gombe, by climbing to 4th place nationwide in the World Bank-financed Nigeria Covid-19 Action and Economic Recovery Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme.

Alhaji Salihu Baba Alkali who made this known in a telephone interview with our reporter, said the development did not come as a surprise considering the focus and commitment of the governor in the implementation of the programme in Gombe State.

“As a result the state moved from 17th position in 2022, 7th in 2023, and now 4th place which is a clear indication of Governor’s commitment to uplifting the lives of the poor and vulnerable members of our societies”, he said.

Baba Alkali added that “The GO-CARES has positively impacted over 400,000 individuals and families, focusing on rebuilding livelihoods, boosting food security, and improving resilience in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic’s devastating effects on the overall economy of individuals and households.

The commissioner added that, recently more than 120,000 beneficiaries have benefitted from various agricultural inputs and assests distributed through the registered Farmer Cooperative Associations (FCA’s) in the state.

These include bags of fertilizer, improved seedlings, herbicides, small ruminant animals, poultry birds etc.

Indirectly, over 50 communities have been impacted with rehabilitation/construction of water harvesters, culverts and drainages and provision of wet markets in various communities across the state.

He therefore, call on the people of the state to continue praying and supporting the governor and his administration to continue providing more dividends of democracy to their door steps.