Gombe — About N1.2 billion has so far been spent by the Gombe State Government on the construction of 250 housing units in its effort to alleviate the accommodation problems faced by civil servants in the state.

Speaking with newsmen in Gombe, the state Governor, Alhaji Danjuma Goje, said

it was the policy of his administration to provide shelter for all classes of the state citizens, adding that what prompted the government to enter into an agreement with Federal Mortgage Bank through the state investment company.

The governor further added that 250 of both two and three bedroom flats were built with a plan to allocating them to the civil servants in the state, explaining that government has also concluded arrangement to issue the houses at 50 percent subsidised rate to the benefiting civil servants. He pointed out that, his administration would do everything possible to ensure built for its they at an affordable rate, so that they can able to own Houses of their own.

Goje however, said his government has entered into negotiations with three private organisations to build 2000 housing units for its civil servants to be sold at subsidised rates revealing that, already three sites have been mapped out along Kumo, Bauchi, Dukku and Biu roads for the projects.

The governor then added that, that is why his administration has channeled substantial resources towards creating the necessary

motivational climate to the State work force through regular payment of salaries and allowances saying that the state was among the first state in the country that implemented the 27.5 per cent salary increase for teachers in the State in order to give them the necessary support to discharge their duties diligently.

While conducting the governor round the houses in Tumfure village along Bauchi road, the State Commissioner of Finance, Muhammad Inuwa

Yahaya stated that the provision of light, access roads and water to the estate had reached advanced stage pointing out that part of the incentives given by the state government to any willing estate developer included the land and the provision of basic infrastructures.

The commissioner also told the governor that the Gombe State Investment Company had built ninety storey-building modern shopping complex with twenty five offices in three locations within the metropolis.

The governor also visited the on-going Gombe State International Hotel to see for himself the level of work done after the contract for the

construction of the hotel was re-awarded recently and expressed delight to have seen that the specifications of the new innovations

made in the restructuring of the hotel to stand the taste of time was adhered to by the contractor.