"The Polling Unit Development Fund will allow members of the community in each polling unit to be able to decide some of the small development projects they will undertake."
Governor Umar Namadi has signed into law two key pieces of legislation aimed at deepening grassroots development and strengthening healthcare education in the state.
The laws include the Polling Unit Development Fund Law and the conversion of Khadija University, Majia, into the Jigawa State University of Medical and Allied Health Sciences.
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Speaking shortly after the signing ceremony at the Council Chambers of the Government House, Governor Namadi described the development as another milestone in the state's ongoing efforts to expand opportunities and improve service delivery.
"In our effort towards a greater Jigawa, today we have signed two important documents," he said.
On the university conversion, the governor noted that the move would reposition the institution as a specialized center for medical training.
"This is a specialized university that will certainly change the narrative of medical sciences in this country--not only in Jigawa State but in Nigeria."
He explained that the Polling Unit Development Fund Law introduces a new approach to grassroots development by placing decision-making directly in the hands of communities.
"The Polling Unit Development Fund will allow members of the community in each polling unit to be able to decide some of the small development projects they will undertake. The government will extend funds to them directly so that they will execute those projects themselves."
According to the governor, the initiative is designed to simplify development processes and remove bureaucratic bottlenecks.
"That will eliminate the bureaucratic procedures of going through local government and the state for approvals. The communities themselves will decide and implement what they need, and that will definitely help accelerate the process of development in our communities."
Governor Namadi expressed appreciation to the State Executive Council and the Jigawa State House of Assembly for their roles in the process, commending their commitment and sense of responsibility.
"I want to use this opportunity to thank the State Executive Council... and the Jigawa State House of Assembly for the diligence they have shown in ensuring that these laws have been passed," he said.
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"This development is very unprecedented. The members have shown diligence, commitment, and patriotism in the way they handled this process."
