The wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Buhari, has decried the decline in school enrolment in Adamawa.
Buhari raised the concern in her remarks at the Adamawa state Indigenes Town Hall meeting held on Saturday in Yola.
She noted that the poor school enrolment was alarming, saying the trend spelled a gloomy future for the state.
”The declining rate in terms of school enrolment and performance, coupled with the growing number of unemployed youth spell a gloomy future for our dear state Adamawa,” Buhari said.
She recalled that 40 years ago, the defunct Gongola state (now Adamawa and Taraba states) was a beautiful and peaceful state with relatively good infrastructure, well established civil service as well as educational and health institutions.
She said the state needed coalition of like minded people to return to its glorious past by addressing the challenges of insecurity, inter-ethnic conflicts, the annual flood and influx of internally displaced persons.
The first lady advocated for the establishment of Adamawa Development Trust Fund through which prioritised development projects would be financed and implemented.
In his remarks, Gov. Muhammadu Bindow, said the meeting came at the right time when Adamawa concerned citizens were looking forward to a sustainable socio-economic growth of the state.
Bindow, represented by his deputy, Mr Martins Babale, called on the incoming administration to continue with the meaningful developmental projects in the interest of the state.
He urged the incoming administration to also continue and develop the culture of tolerance among majority of the people.
Dr Halliru Bindir, the secretary to the Adamawa state government, said that 75 per cent of people in the state were living below poverty line.
Bindir stressed the need for gigantic empowerment approach and programmes to reduce the poverty level of majority of the people of the state.====NAN
