Gombe approves N265m for lecturers’ arrears, others

The Gombe State Executive Council has approved the 2025-2027 Medium Term Expenditure Framework encompassing the economic and fiscal update, fiscal strategy paper, and the payment of N265m as earned academic allowance arrears to Academic Staff Union of Universities, Gombe State University branch.

The Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Ethical Orientation, Mijinyawa Tilde, announced this after the 41st Executive Council Meeting presided over by Governor Muhammadu Yahaya.

Explaining further, the Commissioner for Finance, Mohammed Magaji, disclosed that the MTEF would serve as the basis for preparing the 2025 appropriation bill.

He noted that the Executive Council also approved N394 million for the completion of projects at the Muhammadu Buhari Industrial Park, including fencing, gully erosion control, and consultant payments.

“As well as the budget for the 6th year, comprised of the indices that could be used for the preparation of the Gombe State 2025 appropriation bill for which work will commence very soon, and also council deliberated on the request for about 394 million for the completion of some projects at the Muhammadu Buhari park, council deliberated and approved the fluctuations which consist of improvement in the fencing as well as some gory treatments and of course payments to the consultants that are supervising that project.

“Also, the council approved the Gombe State monitoring and evaluation policy framework which will help the state to be able to measure and also access performances across LGAs and if course across projects and even across staff members and excos, key performance indicators will be utilised and of course, the M & E policy has been adopted by the Federal government and Gombe is the 2nd of only 2 Subnationals that also adopted the M&E policy and of course is now effective in the state.

“Finally, the council approved the payment of about 265 million promotion arrears being owed to staff of Gombe State University and his Excellency had directed that that amount be released immediately to the university to offset those particular promotion arrears.”

Disclosing the 2024 budget performance Magaji added, “Our 2024 budget performance is over 52 per cent, we believe that if half year we have done almost 53 per cent you can imagine that by the end of the year, it should be above 80 per cent and I assure you we’ve been doing that, inshallah we will do more this year.”